The Island of Legend
by Knightcrawler
Summary: AU, last multi-chapter story that I have planned for my Marvel Universe, 917, third in the trilogy along with 'The Foundling' and 'The Demon of Bayville'. A Chance encounter with Excalibur leads to Kurt and Kitty travelling to the Island of Legend, in order to find out whether or not it is possible for the tragedy in Kurt's past to be undone.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: This is the last multi-chapter story that I have planned from my AU Marvel Universe, 917. This is the third in the trilogy, along with **_**The Foundling**_** and **_**The Demon of Bayville**_**. I do have other stories planned, but I might not be able to work on them for some time, as I have an anthology containing my original short stories, poems and illustrations due out hopefully at the beginning of October this year, which means that I will have to concentrate on working on that, rather than my fan-fictions, for at least the next few weeks. The avatar that I have used for this site will also be used, with perhaps some minor modifications, as the cover art for this book. If you want to have a clearer look at this cover art, you can see this image using the link to my blog, which is on my profile page. **

**Now, on with the story;**

The Island of Legend

_Prologue – Chance Encounter_

Kurt carefully guided the blindfolded and giggling Kitty towards the clearing, taking great care to ensure that she did not trip or fall. Of course, she could have phased through the blindfold at any time had she chosen to do so, but she clearly did not want to spoil Kurt's fun or ruin his plans to surprise her, so she went along with his game, laughing and joking the whole time. She reached up to adjust the blindfold, but Kurt gently placed his furry hands over Kitty's own delicate hands.

"Can I remove this yet?" she asked, just a little impatiently.

Kurt giggled, and surveyed the clearing briefly with a critical eye, then shook his head slightly, even though Kitty obviously could not see him doing this. "No, not yet," he said quietly," I want this to be perfect before you can see it."

Kitty smiled at Kurt reassuringly, "I'm sure it will be fine," she said.

Kurt frowned slightly, and surveyed the clearing again. There was the smell of rain still lingering on the breeze, and the sky was clear blue, without a single cloud in sight. The first rays of morning sunlight were being filtered through the young leaves of a tall oak tree, giving the whole scene an almost magical glow. Towards their left there was a clean and clear river rushing towards a distant waterfall, rushing in time with Kurt's rapidly beating heart. Kurt looked up at the oak tree once more, and sighed quietly, his tail coiling and uncoiling, the way it always did whenever he was nervous or unsure of himself.

"Fine," he said, after a very long pause, "you can remove the blindfold now."

Kitty obligingly removed the blindfold, and gasped when she saw the beautiful clearing. She then turned around suddenly to where Kurt was watching her nervously.

"Will this do?" he asked.

In response Kitty simply hugged him tightly, and kissed him passionately on the lips. "Oh Kurt, its perfect," she said.

Kurt grinned at her, and let out a relieved sigh. There had been a lot of discussion recently about where Kurt and Kitty should hold their upcoming wedding, since they wanted this to be held in a place and a manner that was respectful to both of their cultures, both of their heritages. Kitty was from a Jewish background, and a strict vegetarian, whereas Kurt had grown up with a Romani travelling circus. Margali, Kurt's mother in all but blood, had in the past few months spent countless hours talking with Kitty's parents, discussing where they should hold their wedding, desperately trying to find the perfect venue for their children to publically state their love for each other. In the end, both Kurt and Kitty had agreed that they wanted to have the ceremony outdoors, a celebration of nature, as well as a celebration of the best aspects of both of their cultures. Kurt had remembered passing by a place that he thought would be perfect, during one of his many travels with the Szardos Circus, when he had been perhaps nine or ten years old. With some help from Margali, he had finally been able to locate this clearing, the place where he now stood, with Kitty examining the whole scene, awe and wonder upon her exquisite features.

Kitty giggled again, "Look Kurt, there's rabbits over there," she said, pointing towards where three rabbits were nibbling the grass, apparently oblivious to those who were watching them.

Kurt nodded, and was glad to see that Kitty was so happy and excited. He was used to seeing wildlife, as he had spent his childhood travelling to many different European countries, always passing through miles of countryside in order to reach the various lands where the Szardos Circus had been scheduled to perform. He had become so used to seeing rabbits and squirrels and other small animals that he sometimes forgot that Kitty was not nearly as familiar with such creatures as he was, and her enthusiasm was becoming infectious. "Sometimes, if you are really lucky and really quiet, you can see deer in the woods near here," he said quietly, "I saw a young fawn once. It was magical."

"Magical," Kitty repeated, sighing contentedly, "it's so beautiful. It's perfect."

"Glad you like it," said Kurt, "but it's natural, not magical."

Magic, now there was a force that could cause – and solve – all sorts of problems. Kurt had grown up with Margali and her two biological children, Jimaine and Stefan. Both Margali and Jimaine had been skilled at magic, and Jimaine had taught Kurt some very basic spells. Kurt was also a mutant – a very obvious mutant, as he was blue from the tip of his pointed ears to the tip of his pointed tail. Kurt had known that he had been a mutant for as long as he could remember, although he had only developed his mutant teleporting ability relatively recently. Kitty, however, had only found out that she was a mutant within the last two years, and she was still not entirely used to her own mutant phasing power. It was not long after Kitty had developed this mutant power that Kurt had first met her – by rescuing her from those that she had once considered to be her friends. Not that she had appreciated Kurt's efforts at first, since she had had a very good reason to suspect that Kurt had intended to harm her. Technically he had kidnapped her, and it was only with the help of a magic mirror that Kurt had been able to convince her of his innocence of all murderous crimes, and to convince her that he did not mean to cause her any harm. Then they had talked for hours, and Kitty had convinced Kurt to return with her to the Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters, and to join the X-Men. Kurt had, reluctantly at first, agreed to Kitty's request. It had not been long before the X-Men had become his second family, and he had grown to love them in much the same way as he had once loved his own family.

Kurt looked down sadly. He missed his family so much. Jimaine, his sister in all ways that mattered, had been his best friend and constant companion. She had helped him along that difficult path from childhood to adulthood, a path made even more difficult by the fact that he was so obviously a mutant – and a mutant with several demonic features – in a world where mutants were at best grudgingly accepted. Not that Jimaine had ever minded Kurt's mutant appearance; she had had far too much sense, far too much compassion, to care about Kurt's unusual physical features. Kurt had been her little brother, as well as her acrobatic partner within the circus, and at times she had sided with Kurt against her older brother, Stefan. Kurt smiled sadly as he remembered Stefan. It was only in the last year of Stefan's life that Kurt had stopped idealising him, looking up to him as a source of wisdom and advice, but had started to regard him instead as an equal. Stefan had been everything that Kurt had longed to be when he had been a child; Stefan had been tall, clever, blonde and almost always able to get his own way. Stefan had possessed a level of cunning and intelligence that could surely only be attained by being surrounded by mutants and those skilled with magic, yet he had also always been kind and protective towards Kurt.

And Kurt had been indirectly responsible for his death, indeed, for the death of the entire Szardos Circus, except for Margali, who had been in Italy at the time that disaster had struck. The members of his circus, his circus family, had been so determined to protect Kurt that in the end they had all given up their lives protecting him. The pain was not as raw as it had been on that fateful day, nearly two years ago, but he doubted that the pain would ever truly go away – it was a dull ache in the centre of his heart that not even Kitty's light could completely cure. Kurt smiled sadly to himself. Stefan should be at his wedding, teasing him lovingly, and Jimaine should have been able to accompany Kitty on her many trips with Margali to the market, where they had apparently been critically examining wedding dresses. Both Margali and Kitty refused to let Kurt see the gowns that they had been examining, but Margali had eventually told him that she had decided to create the wedding dress herself, as no-one else could be trusted with the huge responsibility of creating a wedding dress for her own daughter.

Kurt sighed quietly. It was wonderful that Margali considered Kitty to be her daughter, but he knew how much she missed her own biological daughter, indeed, both of her children. Sometimes, Kurt had heard Margali crying in the night, and had teleported into her room to comfort her, trying to ease her pain as best he could. Margali did not blame Kurt for the loss of her children and her circus, but Kurt could only imagine that the pain that she had experienced from their loss must be even greater than the pain in the centre of Kurt's own heart.

"Oh," Kitty suddenly seemed to notice the sorrow within Kurt's yellow eyes, and placed her hand upon his cheek, stroking it lovingly. "You're thinking about your family again," she said, her voice full of compassion and concern, "I'm sorry."

Kurt smiled at her, trying to hide his pain as best he could. "I just wish they could be here to see this," he said quietly, "to wish me well, to tease me. I miss them so much."

Kitty merely hugged him tightly again. There were no words of comfort that could ease his pain, so she did not use any words, but just leaned her head against his shoulder, and rubbed her hands across his back, gently, lovingly. Kurt merely smiled at her. He knew that the pain he felt at the destruction of almost his entire family would never quite leave him, but when he was in Kitty's gentle embrace, the pain was bearable.

"I know it's been a while," he said quietly, "and I know that no-one can change the past. I just wish that things could have been different, that they could all be here now, to see you, to see what I've become."

"I know that you will never get over what happened back then," Kitty said quietly, "I just wish I knew some way to take your pain away."

"There's nothing…" Kurt's voice trailed off when he suddenly began to hear a very strange and unfamiliar sound. It was almost like thunder, or maybe distant drumming, a roaring sound, but one that did not seem to be natural.

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked, suddenly looking worried. "Is it danger?"

"I'm not sure," Kurt admitted, and wrinkled his nose slightly. There was the scent of smoke in the air, but it did not smell like a bonfire, "I guess I'd better go and see."

Kurt teleported closer to the sound and the smell, and then stared up in wonder at what he saw. It appeared to be a huge metallic snake made out of iron, with countless glowing eyes all along its body, and it was travelling faster than any natural creature could possibly move. He stared up at the strange object as it came directly towards him, and he suddenly realised that it was not going to stop; that it did not even seem to realise that he was there. Kurt knew that he had to get out of its way, to teleport or run away from the object, but he only realised this for one very brief moment, as the object continued racing towards him, then ploughed into him, knocking him out of its way, and out of consciousness.

"Is he seriously hurt?" It was Kitty's worried voice, "Please, tell me he's going to be fine…"

"It's not as serious as I had feared," Kurt did not recognise the second, male voice, but it sounded both relieved and concerned, "I think he's going to be okay."

"Thank goodness," Kitty said, and there was relief evident in her tone of voice.

"You'd think he'd have more sense than to get in the way of an oncoming train."

"Be fair," this was said by another unfamiliar voice, this one female, "they live in a pre-industrial society, so they would have never seen a train before, wouldn't have known what it was."

"Pre-industrial?" Kitty asked.

"Later," said the male voice, and Kurt felt gentle – and furry – hands upon his lower arms, "he's coming to."

"Its fine Kurt," Kitty said, "you can awaken now. We're with friends."

Kurt opened his eyes, and gasped in shock at what he saw. His head hurt, but he had experienced worse pain during his many training sessions with Wolverine, so he could easily ignore the pain. Yet he wondered if he had seriously injured his brain, for surely he must be seeing illusions. He stared at all of his companions, and then smiled weakly at Kitty, who was by his side, a worried look on her beautiful face. Beside Kitty was a woman who looked a lot like her; long, brunette hair, gentle eyes, high cheekbones and a kindly expression in her eyes – only she seemed to be older, as though Kurt was looking at Kitty perhaps five years from the present time. On her shoulder there was the small dragon Lockheed – not the purple toy dragon that Kitty loved so much, but a real, live, breathing, and slightly confused dragon. It watched him with curious, yellow eyes. On his other side there was an even stranger being; a male who looked a lot like Kurt himself – or at least, how Kurt might look in five years time. He had blue fur from the tip of his pointed ears to the tip of his pointed tail, a lean yet muscular physique, and yellow eyes that sparkled with both compassion and mischief. He was also wearing a white lab coat, and seemed to be some type of medical professional.

He grinned at Kurt, and winked at him playfully, "Congratulations, Kurt," he said, "you have the dubious honour of being the first person in your world to be run over by a train."

"Be nice," his female companion gently admonished, "the poor kid's clearly been through enough."

Kurt turned away from the unfamiliar beings, and looked at Kitty uncertainly. "Who…?" he asked.

Kitty smiled at Kurt, and then indicated her companions, "Everything's fine, Kurt," she assured him, "they're us, but from a different world."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who has added me to their favourites and/****or added me to their author alerts. Special thanks to pixienerd for your lovely review. I'm glad that you're enjoying this story so far, and that you also enjoyed my other story. It seems we have a number of shared interests, and I hope I can live up to your high expectations. I enjoyed the **_**Excalibur**_** Comics because there was some humour in them, because they did not necessarily take themselves too seriously, and I wanted that sense of fun to carry over into my own story here. Since travelling to other dimensions was an important aspect of **_**Excalibur**_** canon, I could not resist the temptation of having them visit my world. **_**Excalibur **_**will continue to have a small but important part in this story; I'm glad you enjoyed comic Kurt's cameo. **

**Now on with the story;**

_Chapter 1 – Magion and Margali_

It had been three days since Kurt and Kitty had met with Excalibur, and Kitty was beginning to worry that the meeting had affected Kurt more than he cared to admit, as he had been unusually quiet and withdrawn ever since they left. At first she had dismissed her concerns, reasoning that Kurt had been suffering from mild concussion, even though the other Kurt had assured her that he would be fine. Besides, Kitty had to admit that it had been slightly strange and unsettling, meeting herself from another world, even though Excalibur had been very friendly and helpful towards them. Still, Kitty could not help herself from worrying that the other world Kurt had said something disturbing to her Kurt, perhaps when she had been excitedly discussing her upcoming wedding with the other Kitty, Rachel and Meggan.

There was a knock on Kitty's door, which suddenly brought her out of her contemplation. She sighed, and walked over to open the door.

"Good afternoon, Kitty," said Storm, smiling at her as she entered her room, "there's a demonstration going on downstairs that be of might interest to you. Kurt's already down there watching it."

Kitty smiled up at Storm, but it was clear that Storm could tell that she still felt uncertain. Storm put a reassuring hand upon Kitty's shoulder. "It's been hard for Kurt recently," she said, "and meeting himself from another world has caused him to question many of the assumptions that he once thought he knew. But don't worry, he knows that he loves you, don't doubt that for a moment."

Kitty nodded thoughtfully. "I hope it is nothing serious," she said, "but sometimes I see him looking so sad or thoughtful, but the next moment, he hides it behind his smile. I just hope that this meeting has not shattered his confidence, it's taken so long to build it up."

Storm gave her a reassuring smile, "You should by now know that Kurt is a lot tougher than he looks. Still, it might be wise for you to talk to him, to tell him about your concerns, perhaps after watching the demonstration downstairs. I take it that you are going to attend the demonstration?"

Kitty sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. "Why not?" she asked. "Maybe it will take my mind off of worrying about Kurt, for a short while at least."

Storm gave her a mischievous grin, "I doubt very much that there is any power in this world or any other that could enable you to keep your mind off of Kurt for more than a minute or two," she said, winking playfully at Kitty, "but there is no harm in having other interests as well."

Kitty nodded again, and then followed Storm downstairs to the main hall. There was a man at the front of the hall, and this man was wearing a purple robe, and carrying a large, black bag. Many of the mutants at the Xavier Academy for Gifted Youngsters were watching him curiously, as he reached into his bag, and removed what appeared to be a small, golden necklace. Kitty thought that it looked a bit like the copper bracelet that Kurt always wore whenever he wanted to disguise his blue, furry form. The necklace that the stranger held out to the curious mutants was plain gold, and glinted slightly in the candlelight. Wolverine frowned slightly when he saw it, and Kitty suddenly had the distinct impression that he must have seen something similar before, and did not entirely like or trust it.

"Let me introduce myself to the lovely young ladies who have just joined us," said the man holding the necklace, as he bowed ever so slightly to Kitty and Storm, "my name is Magion, and I bring you powerful magic from a distant land, far to the east of these fair shores."

"Stop the showing off," Wolverine muttered irritably, "and just get on with this demonstration of yours."

Magion deflated slightly, but then straightened up, smiled uncertainly at Wolverine, and held the necklace high above his head, so that all of the mutants gathered around the hall could see it clearly. "This collar," he said, "can stop your mutant power. All you have to do is put it around your neck, and your power will be inhibited for the duration that you are wearing it."

"Why would we want to stop our powers?" asked Bobby Drake sceptically, "some of us like having our mutant powers."

Magion nodded towards Bobby, "That is certainly the truth," he admitted, "but some mutants do not. There are many applications for this necklace, from the simple use of stopping telepaths from using their abilities to cheat during examinations, to quite literately saving lives."

"Saving lives?" Kurt asked quietly. Kitty noticed that he was sitting, cross-legged, in the front row, watching Magion curiously, an uncertain expression upon his disguised features. Quietly, Kitty made her way towards him, sat down next to him, and squeezed his hand reassuringly, before turning her attention back to Magion once more.

Magion smiled sadly at Kitty and Kurt, and nodded ever so slightly, "Not all mutant powers provide the mutant with positive abilities and advantages," he said quietly, "some can have very unpleasant effects indeed."

"Wither," Wolverine grunted.

Magion nodded sadly. "A boy, no older than you, developed a mutant power that quite literally sucked the life out of everyone around him. In the end, we had no choice but to…" his voice trailed off, as he looked down at his shoes.

"Sometimes hard decisions have to be made," Wolverine explained gruffly, "and there are times when I'm the only one capable of doing what must be done."

"Exactly," Magion said, sighing quietly, "and it was after hearing about this tragedy that I set to work creating these magical collars, so that no other child would have to endure what Wither went through."

"I can understand the use of these necklaces," it was the calm, contemplative voice of the wizard-professor, Charles Xavier, "but if in the future mutants are forced to wear these objects, it will surely only be a matter of time until they are recognised as being members of the mutant community, and this could have a negative impact upon their future. There are still many people who hate mutants, despite what we have been doing to try to bridge the gap between us and the rest of humanity."

"No one is going to be forced to wear one of these necklaces," Magion explained calmly.

"For how long?" Wolverine demanded. "If everyone comes to know about the existence of these collars, then there's a real chance that we'll be forced to wear these things, regardless of our powers."

"There are worlds where this has already happened," said Kurt quietly.

Suddenly, everyone in the room turned their attention towards him. Kurt shrugged uncertainly, "I had a very long talk with a very interesting person earlier this week," he explained awkwardly, "there's all sorts of different attitudes towards mutants, in all sorts of different worlds."

There was a moment of awkward silence, in which Kitty watched Kurt closely, as he examined the necklace carefully. So Kurt had indeed discussed some really important issues with his doppelganger from the other world. She would need to try to convince him to tell her everything that the other Kurt had told him, as it was rapidly becoming apparent that their conversation had affected him deeply.

Xavier cleared his throat, and pointed towards the necklace, "This is, let us not forget, just a tool," he said, "and tools, by their very nature, are neither good nor evil, however tools can doubtlessly cause much ill if and when they fall into the wrong hands."

"We just gotta make sure that that don't happen then," Rogue said, "but these things could prove really useful when used in the right way."

Kitty turned her attention towards her roommate, and smiled sadly. Rogue's powers involved draining the powers and abilities of others, including, but not limited to, their mutant abilities. It had proven to be an extremely useful and versatile power in many different situations, but it was a power that Rogue could neither stop nor control. It had been years since Rogue had been able to risk touching people, for fear of harming them, and so she wore gloves whenever there was a likelihood that she would come into contact with others. Kitty was certain that this lack of simple human contact and affection must have had a serious affect upon Rogue, although she rarely complained about her mutant power, as it was not in Rogue's nature to talk at length about her feelings. Kitty suddenly felt vaguely guilty about all of the affectionate gestures that she had shared with Kurt while in Rogue's presence, and wondered if they could have, by their own thoughtlessness, caused Rogue to feel a certain amount of resentment towards her own mutant ability.

"As I said before, no one will be forced to wear these collars if they do not want to," Magion said, "but there are those, even in this room no doubt, who could surely benefit from at least wearing these necklaces for a short while."

"Indeed," the wizard-professor said, "and I can see no harm in allowing any who so chose to try on these necklaces." Xavier then nodded his approval to the watching mutants.

Rogue was the first to approach Magion, who handed her a necklace. She examined it curiously for a moment, and then shrugged slightly. Carefully, she put it on her neck. "Don't feel no different," she muttered. She then removed her glove. Tentatively, almost shyly, she reached out, and touched Kitty's hand. Kitty clasped her hand in her own, and smiled at her reassuringly, as nothing happened between them. Kitty had felt her powers being drained by Rogue before, but this time there was no feeling of being drained, just the feeling of holding hands with one of her dear friends.

Kitty tightened her grip on Rogue's hand, and then gently pulled her into a chaste hug. "Now you'll be able to dance at my wedding without having to worry about harming anyone," she said.

Rogue wiped a tear from her eye. Kitty knew that Rogue was not the sort of person who displayed her emotions easily, but it was clear to her that Rogue's realisation that she could safely have human contact after so long was almost overwhelming. Kitty could feel tears welling up in her own eyes just at the thought that Rogue would simply be able to safely touch others after so long.

"Look," said Rogue, obviously trying to hide her embarrassment as she wiped her eyes once more, and pointed towards where Scott Summers had removed his spectacles, and was staring lovingly into Jean Gray's eyes.

Kitty grinned as she watched them stare lovingly at each other; after all, Jean had almost certainly never seen Scott's eyes before, as they were always hidden by his magical ruby spectacles. Just like Rogue, Scott's mutant power could not be turned off, and so he had to wear the spectacles at all times, in order to avoid causing all manner of destruction with his eye beams.

Kurt grinned as he watched them, and then whispered in Kitty's ear, "Do you think now would be a good time to tell them that we've met their daughter from another world?"

Kitty returned Kurt's grin, "I'm not sure that there's ever a right time to tell someone something like that," she admitted.

"Right, I've got to be able to see for myself whether or not this really is as soft and fuzzy as Kitty always says it is," said Rogue, as she reached out and touched Kurt's arm. She rubbed his fur almost experimentally, as Kurt grinned up at her playfully.

"I'm going to get jealous if this carries on much longer," Kitty said playfully, but it was clear that Rogue merely wanted to feel human contact with her friend.

Kurt himself did not seem to mind Rogue stroking his arm, although Kitty suddenly noticed that Kurt was staring at the magical necklaces longingly.

Kitty swallowed, and grabbed Kurt's hand, as he began to make his way towards Magion in order to reach for one of the necklaces. Kitty gave him an almost desperate look as she squeezed his hand reassuringly, "Isn't it enough that you must disguise yourself whenever we are in public?" she asked him quietly. "Must you hide everything that makes you you?"

Kurt gave her a long, agonising look, and then looked down at his disguised form. "If it means that much to you," he said quietly.

Kitty swallowed, and pulled him into a tight hug, "I just want you to like you again," she told him quietly, "you've seemed so distant since we met Excalibur, it's clear that meeting the other Kurt has affected you deeply. Please, just tell me what the other Kurt told you."

Kurt smiled at Kitty uncertainly, "A lot of things," he admitted quietly, "sorry for being quiet these last few days, but he's given me a great deal to think about."

"You know that you can always tell me anything," Kitty assured him gently, "anything at all."

Kurt looked at her uncertainly for a long moment, biting his lips in the way he usually did whenever he felt unsure of himself. Then he looked down at the floor, "Excalibur, all of its members…they died," he said slowly, very quietly, "all of them, at one time or another. But from where they came from, it can be undone. Could…" his voice trailed off, and he choked slightly, "could that be done here, in this world, as well?" he asked, suddenly looking up at Kitty, desperate pleading in his eyes.

Kitty was taken aback by the comment. She knew perfectly well that the death of Kurt's family had affected him deeply, but she had never even considered for a moment that Kurt's sudden uncertainty might be caused by him assuming it might be possible to undo the tragedy of his past. She squeezed his hand gently, and gave him a small, sad smile, "Death is death, Kurt," she said, as sympathetically as she could manage, "it's sad, and it's tragic, but what happened to your family just cannot be undone. That's just the way things are in this world."

"But the other Kurt," he said, almost desperately, "the whole of Excalibur, none of them stayed dead for more than about two years. And if they could enter our world," he bit his lip again, as he stared hopefully at Kitty, "doesn't that mean that the rules that govern them, the rules that govern their world, the rules concerning even death, couldn't they also enter our world too?"

Kitty suddenly felt very uncertain. Could the rules concerning even death be stretched or even broken? Was that even possible? She turned suddenly to where Xavier had rolled up behind them in his wheelchair, and was watching them worriedly, "Is Kurt right?" Kitty asked him.

Xavier was silent for a very long moment, as he watched Kurt and Kitty uncertainly. Finally, he sighed, "There are certain rules that govern this world," he said finally, "and to my knowledge, they have never been broken. But that does not necessarily mean that they can never be broken."

"I'm not sure that I understand," Kitty admitted.

Xavier sighed again, "There are strange powers in this world," he said slowly, "although what you are suggesting has, to my knowledge, never been done, the future is not necessarily the same as the past." He nodded towards Kurt, "What has Margali said regarding your concerns?" he asked.

Margali had worked for Xavier for the last year, teaching magic to those who had the talent for it, while providing Kurt with a mentor and mother figure to help him to adjust to his new life as an X-Man. She was, after all, the only surviving member from Kurt's circus family, so it was perhaps not surprising that Kurt often relied upon her to provide him with help and advice.

"I haven't spoken to her about my concerns," Kurt admitted. "At first I didn't know how to ask her, and then I just didn't want to get her hopes up if it was completely hopeless. Then she said that she was meeting an old acquaintance at the market place, and I haven't seen her since. I'm glad she's meeting old friends, but I really wish I could speak to her about this."

Xavier nodded, "Understandably," he said, and then pointed towards where Margali was at that moment returning to the Institute, "however, it would seem that, as your Mother has just this moment returned to our abode, now would be the perfect time for you to discuss your concerns with her."

Kurt looked at Xavier uncertainly, and then made his way towards Margali. "How was your visit to the market place?" Kurt asked quietly.

Margali smiled at Kurt, "It was fine," she assured him, "there was a talk in the town square by a mutant, he was saying that all people, mutants and those without mutant abilities, were all one and the same. It was a good talk, I just wish he could have spoken louder, it could be quite difficult to hear him from the back of the crowd."

"This was the person you knew from a while back?" Kurt asked quietly, "from when our circus was still…" his voice trailed off, and he looked down sadly.

Margali put a reassuring hand upon his shoulder, "What happened to our circus happened," she told him quietly, "no one blames you, except yourself."

"But what if it could all be changed?" Kurt asked desperately, "what if what happened could be undone?"

Margali sighed, "It can't, I've explained this to you before," she said sadly, "some things just can't be changed."

Kurt stared up at her, and then shook his head, "But Excalibur," he said, clinging to her desperately, "in the world that they're from, death can be undone, sometimes time and time again. And they were in our world, which means that the rules of their world have also entered our world, surely. That means that we can undo what should never have happened."

"Oh Kurt," said Margali sadly, "Excalibur is no longer in our world, and even if they were, and did indeed leave a tear in our reality, there's a very real chance that the tear will have been mended by now."

"Then there is a chance that there could have really been a tear in our reality? A chance," Kurt persisted.

Margali sighed again, "Even if there is, then undoing the past will not, cannot, be achieved easily. These things are never given without a very high price. Even if it is possible to undo what happened in the past, the price asked will likely be far too great."

"So you're saying that there really is a chance," Kurt said.

Margali looked away from Kurt, to where Kitty was watching them uncertainly. Kitty took a step towards her, as Margali returned her attention back to Kurt, "Rules can sometimes, rarely, be bent and broken," she said uncertainly, "but only rarely, and never without effort, nothing is ever given freely. The price required for even so much as the chance to undo what has been done is likely to be too great, and with no guarantee of success."

"Even so," Kurt said, "if there's even the smallest hope of a chance, I must try to do this. Please, if you know anything at all, please tell me. I'll do anything."

"This is beyond me," Margali admitted, "far beyond my power, far beyond my magic. But I do know of someone who may be able to tell you if what you are suggesting is possible."

"Who?" Kurt asked desperately.

"Someone I knew long ago. He calls himself Narran Olorin, the storyteller. I have mentioned him before, he claims that he moves between worlds, telling tales to those who will listen. When I was younger, I thought he was talking metaphorically, but I have begun to suspect that he might have been talking literally. If anyone knows about how to use the gaps and tears between worlds to undo the past, then it is him."

"Narran," said Kurt quietly, "I think I remember you mentioning the name."

Margali smiled at him knowingly, "You met once, when you were very young, but I doubt you would remember the meeting. He was one of the few people who was not in the least bit surprised by your uniqueness."

"I have to talk to him," Kurt said thoughtfully, "just to find out if there really is a chance that the past can be changed."

Margali nodded thoughtfully, "I believe that you do," she said, "and my friend informed me that he will be in the Dragon's Head tomorrow. You and Kitty should go and see him then, there is no telling when you might get the chance to meet him again."

Kurt nodded, "Thank you," he said.

Margali looked down sadly, "I just hope that the price you are required to pay will not be too high," she said.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 2 - Narran _

Kurt wore his copper bracelet, disguising his true form, as he accompanied Kitty into town. Kitty looked down at the bracelet sceptically, as she really did not like Kurt wearing it; she felt that it was wrong that Kurt had to disguise who he really was behind its illusion magic. Still, she could not deny that the bracelet had given Kurt a degree of freedom that he would not have been able to experience without it, and this had led to him developing more confidence in himself and his own abilities. That was the only reason that she tolerated the bracelet and the magical illusion it created around Kurt, as he slowly made his way along the cobbled streets.

"Margali said that the _Dragon's Head_ should be just at the end of this street, and that Narran would be in there," said Kurt quietly, "I hope she is right, and that if there really is a way to change the past, he will know what I have to do."

"I guess there's no harm to be done by asking," said Kitty, but she was beginning to feel uncertain, and was starting to wonder if there really was a way that the past could indeed be changed. Besides, even if there was, she was starting to worry that the price for such magic would be very high, and whether Kurt, or indeed anyone, would be prepared to pay the price that such magic must surely demand.

"Don't worry," said Kurt, clearly noticing her anxiety, "Margali said that Narran was nothing to be afraid of, and I trust her judgement."

"I just hope she's right," Kitty replied uncertainly.

Kurt smiled at her reassuringly as they approached the inn. "It will be fine," he said, as he opened the door for her, "you will see."

Kitty smiled at Kurt, and wondered whether he was trying to convince her, or merely himself, as she entered the inn.

She looked around cautiously, but found that Narran was not difficult to locate, sitting in the corner of the inn, reading a book. He was tall and incredibly pale, with untidy blue-black hair and dreamy dark eyes. He looked up when he saw Kurt and Kitty enter the inn, and smiled towards them.

"Please, come and join me in a mug of ale," he said.

Kurt and Kitty cautiously made their way towards him, and sat down next to him. Kurt looked up at Narran, and then down at the copper bracelet upon his wrist, as though worried that Narran might be somehow able to see through his illusionary disguise. Kitty held his hand reassuringly, and smiled at Narran uncertainly.

"We are friends of Margali," she said quietly.

Narran nodded, but continued to stare intensely at Kurt, and Kitty began to wonder if he could indeed see through Kurt's disguise, as she got the distinct impression that someone like Narran would be able to see through any form of illusion, and would therefore be able to see Kurt's true form.

"I know who you are," said Narran, after a slightly awkward pause, "I remember little Kurti, blue and bold. And so the hero's tale comes full circle once more."

Kurt gave Kitty an uncertain look, but she merely shrugged, before turning her attention back to Narran once more, "Um, Margali said that you might be able to give us some advice," she said.

"I might be able to do a lot of things," Narran replied, a dreamy look in his eyes, "I might be something that I am not, yet by my very nature, I am not what I cannot be. But what advice is it that you would like to hear?"

Kurt looked down at the floor, and spoke very quietly, "Something horrible happened in my past," he explained slowly, "something terrible, to the people who loved me, and raised me. I wanted to know if," he choked slightly, "if there is anyway of undoing what happened."

"As a very creative mentor of mine once remarked, 'that which is done cannot be undone' and there is truth to these words. The past cannot be changed," said Narran.

"But I met Excalibur a few days ago," Kurt said, "every one of them had died at some point in the past, yet they were all brought back to life again. And they knew so many others who had died, and who had also been brought back to life."

"Death is final, a truth, an absolute," Narran replied, "it is sad, but the past cannot be undone. The reality that Excalibur comes from is not our reality."

"But they were here," Kurt insisted, "in our reality, that surely means that their reality and our reality are, I don't know, joined, compatible?" Kurt gave Narran a desperate look, "They must have become mixed and joined somehow, or else surely Excalibur could not have entered our reality. That means that there must be a chance. Please, just a chance!"

Narran gave him a long, sad look, "Excalibur have moved on," he said slowly, thoughtfully, "to other worlds, other realities, in search of their own true home. The rip in the fabric of our reality that they would have created would be small by now."

"But it's still here, in our reality," Kurt persisted.

"Rips in reality," Narran said slowly, looking down at his drink thoughtfully, "Excalibur, the sword, Ambrosius, the King of the Island of Legend, and the legend itself, perhaps they are all interconnected."

Kitty and Kurt exchanged confused glances. Kitty was beginning to wonder whether or not Narran was crazy, but Kurt seemed so desperate that he really did not seem to care whether or not Narran was in fact mad. "Then we have to use the rip," Kurt insisted, "please, I'll do anything, I'll pay any price."

Narran smiled at him sadly, "So often does the hero claim just that," he said, "yet so rarely does he know what that might mean, what that might involve, the sacrifices he will have to make. He sees the prize, the goal, gleaming, tantalisingly close, yet far, oh so far away. He does not see the chasm that must be overcome to reach the prize, and so often he falls due to his own lack of understanding."

"I'm not afraid," Kurt said, "and I meant what I said, I'll pay any price. Please, just for a chance for me to undo what happened in my past."

"The past cannot be undone," Narran said, "that which happened cannot unhappen. Yet there might still be a chance." He stared at Kurt intensely in silence for a very long moment, before asking, ever so quietly, "Just how did your family die?"

"Because of me," Kurt replied sadly, "there was a fire, caused by wizards and mutants. It killed them all."

"A natural death certainly cannot be undone," Narran told him gently.

"But this wasn't natural," Kurt insisted, "it was caused by magic and mutant power. Most of those who died certainly were not old, many were not much older than me, some younger."

"Perhaps," Narran said slowly, "just perhaps, you might have a chance. But beware, the price you might have to pay for this chance – and chance only, no guarantee – might be higher than you can imagine."

"I know that magic never comes without a price, and that the greater the magic, the greater the price," Kurt replied quietly. "Whatever price is asked, I am prepared to pay it."

Narran nodded slowly, "Then there might be hope, but you must act soon, for the rip created by Excalibur will be small by now and getting smaller every passing moment. Soon it will be too small to use."

"Then I'll act right away, as soon as possible," said Kurt.

Narran nodded towards him thoughtfully, and then picked up a patchwork quilt that had been covering one of the nearby chairs. He handed it to Kurt, who took it from out of his long, slender, pale hands. Kurt gave Kitty a slightly bemused look, and then turned his attention back to Narran once more.

Narran pointed towards the quilt, "Reality is, in some ways, like this quilt," he explained, "or perhaps I should say, realities. Each square within this quilt can be thought of as representing a reality, a universe unto itself, joined to others yet still separated from them, and each square, each reality, has its own rules."

"But these rules can be broken?" Kitty asked, examining the quilt uncertainly.

"Perhaps, sometimes, rarely," Narran replied, and then pointed to the slightly frayed joins between two of the squares. "There are places where reality can in a sense be frayed, where tiny holes can be found within one reality, yet that reality still remains intact," he pointed to a small hole within the stitching, and then up at where Kitty and Kurt were watching him curiously, "Perhaps, just perhaps, you are of the few who may be able to use these rips. The hero's journey has always had a certain tolerance for rebels who are not afraid to bend the rules. You might just be these."

"I am," Kurt insisted, "just tell me what I have to do."

Narran shook his head. "The rules cannot be bent and broken for just anyone," he said, "or else the whole of reality, of realities, the entire quilt of existence, will be nothing but holes. It will no longer be a quilt; will no longer be a reality."

"That would be bad, am I right?" Kitty asked quietly.

Narran smiled at her, and nodded again, "It would mean the end of reality as we know it, in all worlds, in all realities. Life would not only cease to exist, it would never have existed at all, and never could exist, in any world, in any reality."

"Yes, that would be bad," said Kurt, just a little impatiently, "but I only want to create a little change, a little rip, surely that won't destroy this fabric of reality? All I want is for my circus family to be alive and well, nothing else, nothing more."

"And you will be tested," Narran said, "to ensure that you are worthy of the task, worthy of being able to create this rip in reality. Again, I must emphasise, just for a chance to create this rip, you may have to pay a huge price."

"I'll pay," Kurt insisted, "no matter what they want of me, I'll pay whatever price they ask."

Narran was silent for a long moment, and then he smiled and nodded at Kurt. "Your mind is made up, that much is clear. Very well, I see I cannot convince you not to embark upon this quest, even though you now know of the danger, and the potential price that must be paid. Rips in reality will certainly not last indefinitely, indeed, this one will only last one week more, to the time of the blue moon."

"Right, so that means I have to hurry," said Kurt, "just tell me what I have to do."

Narran was quiet a moment, as he stared at Kurt thoughtfully once more. Finally, he shook his head sadly, "I wonder, do you even know the nature of what you are requesting? The magic required to do what you wish to be done?" Perhaps, and then again, perhaps not. It matters little now. The story has already begun, the players are in place, the quest about to start, and my role, as ever, is but the mentor, the one to provide guidance and advice."

"Um," said Kitty uncertainly, "what is it exactly that we have to do?"

"Ah," said Narran, "a simple, straightforward and direct question, one that should receive an answer in kind. You must act soon, for time is the enemy, and go to a place of great magic, the Island of Legend, Avalon, the island within an island. There, under a great mountain, a great king of the island sleeps. If you prove yourselves worthy, this king will consider your request. Consider only, I must warn you, for be assured, even if you pass all of the tests, there is still no guarantee of success."

"Excalibur said something about Avalon," Kitty said, remembering suddenly her conversations with Meggan and the other Kitty, "isn't that where King Arthur is supposed to be buried?"

Narran nodded once more, "Arthurian legends, Avalon, a place where the bonds between our reality and countless other realities are very weak. A place where magic overflows, cannot be contained, and essentially leaks out into other worlds. The Island of Legend, it is the nearest place to here where there is a rip in this reality. There are others, such as the Bermuda Triangle, but you almost certainly will not be able to reach these places in the time that is available to you. So you must go to Avalon, and since you have already met Excalibur, it seems that it is right for your story that you should use the rip at Avalon, and none other."

"But what exactly do we have to do?" Kitty insisted, intrigued, yet at the same time slightly frustrated by Narran, "How do we get to Avalon, and what exactly do we have to do when we get there?"

Narran smiled at her, reached inside his black robes, and produced a couple of tickets, which he then handed to Kurt and Kitty. "These will assure you safe passage across the channel. The next boat leaving for Britain will be at first light tomorrow, so you should arrive there by the evening, assuming the weather is not too extreme. From there, you must make your way overland. Here is a map," he reached into the folds of his robes once more, and produced a small map, which showed the major towns and cities leading towards Avalon, "you will need to earn the key, the right to enter the chamber of the great slumbering king."

"Because I will be tested," Kurt nodded, "and must pass these tests if I'm to be able to convince this king to help me. But tell me, when will these tests begin?"

Narran gave a little laugh at that, "When do these tests begin? Why, at the very start of the story, before we ever even met. They have already begun, and I must congratulate you for passing the first test, that of persistence, of insisting that you will go through with the task, no matter what. Now, you have little time to spare, you had better start making your way towards the port, so that you can catch the boat at the appointed time, so that you will be able to complete the next task, the next test, on your hero's journey, to achieve your quest."


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 3 - Captain O'Donnell_

The trip to the port had been long, but mostly uneventful. Kurt had spent the whole trip worrying that someone would somehow be able to see through his disguise and be able to tell that he was really blue and furry, despite Kitty's constantly reassuring him that the illusory magic of his copper bracelet was working perfectly. Kitty could understand his uneasiness, as twice in his life enemies had tried to burn him alive due partly to his unique appearance. This had led Kurt to develop a phobia of fire. Over the last year, Kitty had been helping him to learn how to control this phobia to a certain extent, so that now he could at least be in the same room as a lit fire without going into a blind panic, although he still tried to avoid being anywhere near a fire whenever he could. Kitty smiled as Kurt helped her dismount from the coach, bowing playfully as he took her hand. He could be so romantic sometimes, but she doubted very much that they would ever be able to enjoy a candle-lit dinner together, due to his fear of fire.

As they neared the port, Kurt still looked uncertain, as he anxiously examined the group of people waiting by the docks. There were a couple of families with young children, a few groups of youths who were excitedly discussing their upcoming trip, and a man with unruly brown hair who was idly flicking through a guidebook on the British Isles. None of them seemed to be particularly scary or threatening, although Kitty was only too aware that sometimes appearances could be deceptive. Despite the fact that no-one else seemed to be paying Kurt much attention, Kurt still seemed to be nervous and anxious, "Is my tail showing?" he whispered to Kitty, turning around and examining his lower back critically.

"No, the illusion is still fine," Kitty said in a whisper, "but you will draw attention to yourself if you keep acting so nervously. Honestly, we might be causing a rip in the very fabric of reality that could destroy all worlds, and you're worrying about the effectiveness of your bracelet."

Kurt gave her a small, apologetic smile, "I guess you are right, I guess I am worrying needlessly," he admitted. Then he saw the man who was flicking through his guidebook, and turned his attention back to Kitty in apprehension, "I saw him earlier, when the coachman stopped to feed the horses," he said worriedly, "do you think that he's following me?"

The man reading the guidebook looked up momentarily, before quickly turning his attention back to his book. He did not appear to be that old, but his shaggy brown hair gave him a slightly wild appearance in a manner that was almost reminiscent of a wolf. Still, he did not seem to be a threat to anyone, as he continued flicking idly through the pages of his book.

"I guess that is possible," Kitty admitted in a whisper, "but it seems much more likely that he is just travelling in the same direction that we are."

Kurt gave her an apologetic smile, "I guess I am being overcautious," he admitted.

"It never hurts to be prepared," Kitty replied kindly, "but I don't think you need to worry too much. The other Kitty told me that the British are generally more tolerant of mutants when compared to mainland Europe."

"Yes," said Kurt, "but that is in her world, it might not necessarily be the case in ours."

Kitty was about to reply when she was interrupted by an aged but cheerful voice, "Greetings to you all," said a man with grey hair and a blue uniform, "my name is Captain O'Donnell, and, as I have no doubt you have all guessed, I am to be your captain on this voyage. We will be travelling to Duffryn in Wales, where many of you will disembark. Others will stay on this here vessel until she reaches my native town of Dublin in Ireland. I trust that you all have your tickets for your relevant trips."

Kitty fumbled in her bag to retrieve the tickets, just as a lad of around thirteen handed her a small guidebook to the British Isles. She accepted it, just to be polite. Kurt winked at her when he saw this, "I doubt that we will get much of an opportunity to do any sightseeing," he said playfully.

Kitty smiled back, "That's a shame," she said. "The other Kitty said that there could be some spectacular shows in London." She stroked Kurt's arm lovingly, glad that she could still feel his silky fur even though it was currently disguised. "And you never know, if we manage to save your circus family in the next few days, we may be able to earn a well-deserved rest."

Kurt returned her smile with a sad one of his own, "From what Narran was saying, I doubt very much that it will be as simple as that," he admitted sadly.

Kitty was about to reply when Captain O'Donnell came up to her, smiled, and asked to examine her tickets. She handed them to him, and he examined them briefly before handing them back to her. As Captain O'Donnell examined other tickets, Kitty noticed that Kurt was staring up at where the ship's name was written in white letters on the starboard of the boat. He seemed to be having difficulty in pronouncing this name, and Kitty could understand perfectly why he was having such difficulty.

"Llanrhaeadr-yng-nghinmeirch," said Captain O'Donnell, coming up behind them, and smiling at them in a friendly manner.

"Um, why?" asked Kurt curiously.

"Simple" replied Captain O'Donnell, "the idea is that pirates come over and they want to cause some mischief. Their mates then ask where they want to cause this mischief, and by the time they've figured out how to pronounce the name of this vessel, it's half-way across the channel."

"That's brilliant," Kurt laughed.

Captain O'Donnell shrugged. "A good idea, I'll grant you," he said, "the only trouble is that pirates generally don't worry too much about what a ship is called, and just tell their mates to cause trouble on the nearest available vessel."

Kurt nodded, "Do you get many pirates in these waters?" he asked, suddenly sounding excited.

Kitty grinned, as she knew that Kurt had grown up reading the adventure stories of Captain Carlos Mendoza and his crew, heroic Spanish pirates who sailed the seven seas and had swashbuckling adventures on land and sea. Judging by Captain O'Donnell's expression, it was not the first time that people with such romantic images of pirates had come on board his ship. "In real life, pirates are rarely heroic or fun to be around," he told Kurt gently, "especially when you're trying to run an honest business. There's been some serious trouble caused by pirates along the East Coast of Africa in the last few months, and my mates are still trying to figure out what should be done to sort this trouble out. But don't worry. We've not seen any pirates in these waters for the last three or four years, ever since a mutant with the power of creating illusions made some seriously impressive illusory sea monsters out there in these here waters," he laughed. "Scared the living daylights out of those pirate scum, so it did. They went crawling back to their mothers with their tails between their legs like scared dogs."

Kurt gave him a slightly worried look when he mentioned tails, but relaxed a moment later when he realised that he was speaking metaphorically. "Um, how do you feel about mutants?" he asked, trying desperately to keep his voice conversational, as Captain O'Donnell ushered him onto his vessel.

Captain O'Donnell shrugged, "Mostly they're just people," he said, "trying to live their lives, just like everyone else. They don't cause me any trouble, leave me alone, and I do the same to them. Take people as you find them, that's my motto. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," said Kurt conversationally, "I was just curious, that's all, since you brought the subject up."

Captain O'Donnell merely smiled at him, and Kitty got the distinct impression that the Captain was well aware that there was more to Kurt's question than simple curiosity. It also seemed like the Captain had far more sense than to continue with the topic, as he led Kurt and Kitty to their cabin.

The cabin was small, but clean and comfortable. Kitty decided that it might be a good idea for them to get some sleep, since there was no telling when they would next be able to get a good night's rest in a comfortable bed once they reached Britain. Kurt had agreed, and after a brief, friendly fight about who should get the top bunk bed, followed by an equally friendly if rather enthusiastic pillow fight, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Kitty was awakened by the gentle rocking of the ship upon the water, and was rather disappointed to find that she was not snuggling up next to Kurt. Kitty suddenly felt worried, but quickly realised that Kurt was probably fine. Still, after a brief inspection of the cabin, including the ceiling, for she knew how much Kurt loved to read while hanging upside-down, it was clear that Kurt was nowhere within the cabin. Kitty put on her coat and grabbed her bag, and then made her way out onto the deck. She was relieved to find Kurt standing on the deck, staring out at the water. He turned around when he saw her, "Hello, sleep-head," he said.

"I've been asleep a long time, have I?" she asked him playfully.

Kurt nodded, "A very long time," he said, "it won't be long until we arrive at the docks in Wales."

"So, no pirates have been seen then?" Kitty asked him playfully.

Kurt winked at her, "Oh, there were plenty of pirates," he said, getting up upon the railings and bowing towards her in a dramatic manner, "but I, Captain Blue Tail, vanquished our foes," he waved his arms around in an enthusiastic arc, as though wielding some kind of sword, "I fought them all to defend the lady's honour, and, as Captain O'Donnell rightly predicted, they went scurrying back to their mothers, their tails between their legs. Even though they lacked tails," he said.

Kitty laughed, "Really?" she asked.

Kurt sighed, "No, not really," he admitted, "this voyage has been remarkably calm, you missed very little sleeping through most of it. I could not sleep, and I did not really want to spend time with the other passengers, so I came out here to get a bit of peace and quiet. I know you think I'm being silly, but I still can't stop thinking that I'm being watched."

"Well, if you have been prancing around fighting pirates and calling yourself Captain Blue Tail, it's hardly surprising that you have managed to get yourself an audience," Kitty said, laughing.

Kurt shook his head, "No, I'm seriously worried," he admitted quietly, "I keep thinking that someone on board this vessel can see through my disguise. And if they do, there's nowhere I can teleport to in order to get to safety.

Kitty gave him a sympathetic smile, "I understand your need to be cautious," she said, "but I really think that Captain O'Donnell will be able to ensure that disaster does not happen, even if there is an enemy on board this ship."

"I guess so," Kurt said uncertainly.

"I know so," said Kitty, trying to sound more confident than she felt, "and anyway, there's not much we can actually do until someone actually does something threatening. There's no point in worrying about that which might never happen."

"I know," Kurt sighed.

"Here," said Kitty, handing him her guidebook, "have a look at all of the interesting things in Britain, it might help to take your mind off of your concerns."

Kurt sighed again, but accepted the guidebook. He gave Kitty a sceptical look, but flicked through the book, until he came to a section on Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. "Oh, Robin Hood country!" he said excitedly, "with outlaws stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, merry men battling against their cruel foes, and winning the support of the oppressed people."

Kitty grinned. She felt glad that he seemed to have at least momentarily forgotten about the possibility that he was being watched.

"What?" Kurt asked, "Outlaws are just like pirates. Except on land. Land pirates."

Kitty grinned at him again, "It's a shame that we won't be travelling that far north," she said, "I can just picture you jumping from tree to tree in Sherwood Forest, a wood spirit and an outlaw."

Kurt looked like he was about to reply, when Captain O'Donnell came towards them, "We will be arriving at the port shortly," he said, "you had better go back to your cabin to get the rest of your belongings."

Kitty nodded, and Kurt followed her back to their cabin, still enthusiastically discussing the merry band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest.

Kurt was still reading the guidebook when they left the ship, bidding Captain O'Donnell a fond farewell. Kitty looked down at her map briefly, then up at the green and pleasant land before her. Then she blinked, sure that she could not really be seeing what she thought she was seeing. There, directly in their path, was a very large fire-breathing dragon. It looked a lot like the big Lockheed that dwelt within Excalibur's train, except at least twice the size, and maybe a shade darker. It also seemed to be a lot more vicious and a lot less friendly.

"Um, Kurt, the dragon…" Kitty whispered uncertainly.

"Yes, the Welsh have a very interesting flag," Kurt replied, still staring at the guidebook.

"No," said Kitty, taking the guidebook from him, and pointing to the Welsh flag within it, "not that dragon," she pointed up at where the gigantic beast was breathing fire in their direction, "that dragon."

Kurt merely stared up at the creature, suddenly frozen in fear. He did not even notice when his copper bracelet fell off of his wrist and onto the earth, revealing his blue and fuzzy form. Kitty knew that it was the uncontrolled fire, rather than the dragon, which was causing him to panic. She grabbed his hand quickly, and phased him through the dragon's fire just in time.

Kitty stared up at the dragon uncertainly, trying to decide what should be done for the best, when all of a sudden a shaggy grey wolf leapt out from behind her, and landed upon the neck of the dragon. The wolf clawed at the dragon, snarled and bit at its skin. Suddenly, the dragon vanished, as quickly as it had appeared. With a yelp, the wolf fell to the ground, twisted its body so that it landed safely, and then changed into the form of the man with shaggy brown hair who had accompanied Kurt and Kitty upon their voyage. Kurt and Kitty uncertainly inched towards him. He grinned up at them in a manner that was both excited and ever so slightly manic, "I just fought a dragon," he said breathlessly, "that was brilliant."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 4 – New Country, Old Acquaintance_

"Um, hello?" said Kitty uncertainly, as she watched the mysterious stranger rub his head and slowly begin to get to his feet. He gave her a slightly apologetic smile, and looked like he was about to say something, when suddenly Kurt leapt on top of him, and pinned him firmly to the ground.

"Kurt, what do you think you're doing?" demanded Kitty, as he proceeded to sit on his captive, all the while keeping his captive's hands pinned to the ground.

"Getting answers," Kurt replied, not taking his eyes off of his captive, "and getting them now." He glared at his captive for a moment, and it was only then that Kitty realised that he was more scared than angry. "Right," said Kurt, "I know you've been following me, so don't try to deny it. What I want to know is, why? What are you hoping to gain?"

The stranger sighed, and attempted to push Kurt off of his stomach, but Kurt still held him fast. He shrugged. "This was much easier when you were the size of a cat, and I was fifteen," he muttered.

"Answers," Kurt insisted, growling slightly, "I want answers and I want them now."

His captive sighed again. "That's understandable," he said, "let me up and I'll explain everything."

"No, how do I know you won't just run for it?" Kurt demanded.

"I give you my word," he replied.

"Not good enough," said Kurt.

"Then just let me up enough so that I can talk without wheezing," he requested. "It's very difficult to have a discussion with a fellow mutant lying on your breadbasket."

Kurt gave him an uncertain look, but released his grip slightly. "Now talk," he demanded.

His companion gave a sigh, "It's true, I have been following you," he admitted, "but I'm not your enemy. I've been following you, because Margali asked me to."

Kurt gave a quick, confused look at Kitty, who merely shrugged, before turning his attention back to his captive. "Why should I believe you?" he asked.

"Look, I can understand why you're feeling nervous and uncertain, and I can't entirely blame you, after all you've been through," his captive began, "but I meant what I said when I told you that I was not your enemy. I met Margali again recently, when I was giving a talk in the town square about how mutants and non-mutants should learn to put aside their differences and start to work together. She might have spoken to you about it," he smiled up at Kurt uncertainly.

"She did say something about that," Kurt admitted uncertainly, "she said something about the speaker talking sense, but not talking loud enough, so she had to strain to hear what he was saying."

"Yes, I've had that criticism before," he admitted, "I do sometimes have trouble talking loudly enough to large gathering crowds." He gave Kurt a small smile, "I also have trouble talking when someone is sitting on me," he added pointedly.

Kurt grinned at him mischievously. "Sorry, I'm not as naive as I once was. If you're really a friend, you'll have to prove it. Or I'll just continue to sit on you," said Kurt.

"Fine, I'll explain everything. My name is Klaus Schneider. When I was fifteen years old, when my mutant powers first developed, I ran away from my mutant hating family, and joined your mother's circus. She might have mentioned me; I worked as her errand boy for a few weeks."

Kurt looked uncertain. "Occasionally there were run-aways who joined our circus," he admitted, "and they often did work as errand boys and girls. But I don't recall ever hearing the name of Klaus. Or Schneider, come to that," he admitted.

Klaus sighed, "I guess it's not surprising, I was only there for a few weeks, and you were, after all, very young at the time. I can't forget how terrified I was the first time I saw you crawling along the ceiling of your caravan; you nearly gave me a heart attack back then."

Kurt gave him an uncertain look. "I need more proof than that," he said, after a very long and very awkward pause.

"Fine, just let me up first, if you're not careful, you're going to attract all of the attention that you've been so desperate to avoid up until now," Klaus said.

Kurt looked around for a moment, but it seemed as if everyone else had quite sensibly decided to vacate the area as soon as they had seen the dragon. Kurt turned his attention back to Klaus, and shook his head. "Now, provide the proof I want, and then I'll let you up. Not before," he said.

"Fine, I guess I don't really have a choice in this matter. You were found in a river in Bavaria eighteen or so years ago, by the sorceress Margali Szardos," Klaus began, "she was out collecting water with Stefan and Jimaine at the time, and she found you, all blue and wet. She was unsure what to do with you, so she spent some time talking about you to the other people in the Szardos Circus. Let me try to remember," Klaus looked uncertain for a moment, "oh yes, there was the doctor, Maya Dietrich, and Margali's husband, Tonino – he frightened me a bit back then – and there were the acrobat twins, Elita and Minerva Saint-Exupery; Margali asked them to make you their apprentice of sorts. And there was the strong man, Shiro Koyo, he was sort of my mentor back then, he helped me to get my mutant power under control. Oh, and Stefan had a favourite toy back then, a soft orange giraffe that he called longneck. He told me that he was called that because he had a long neck," Klaus gave a little laugh as he stared up at Kurt.

Kurt looked down at him uncertainly, "That's right," he said, getting off of him slowly. "But why are you here now?"

"Because, like I told you, Margali asked me to come and help you," Klaus explained, dusting himself off as he got to his feet. "It seems you've got it into your head to go and change the past. Now that's magic that could pretty much mess up everything that's ever existed if it's not done right, which means that you're going to need all the help you can get in order to avoid ruining everything, not only for yourself, but also for everyone else as well. So Margali said to follow you, to keep an eye on you to make sure that I was available to help when and if the need were to arise. Seems she was right," he added.

"The dragon," said Kurt dismissively, "we could have dealt with that easily enough. It's not the first dragon I've ever seen."

"No, you couldn't," Klaus replied, "you couldn't even move, couldn't even stop that bracelet thing that you always wear upon your wrist from falling off; you were so distracted by the dragon's fire. Look, it's nothing to be ashamed of," he added, putting up his hands defensively, when Kurt began to glare at him again, "we all have these weak spots, these times when we can't function as well as we would like. I know I certainly do. And if everything that Margali has told me is correct, then it's hardly surprising that you're still terrified of fire."

Kurt gave Klaus a small smile. "I still say we would have been able to manage without your help," he insisted, just a little bit petulantly, as he slowly picked up his bracelet, and put it back on his wrist, magically disguising his true form once more.

"No doubt," Klaus shrugged, "it can be amazing what people are able to cope with, when they have little choice but to cope with whatever the world decides to throw at them. I learnt that a very long time ago.

Kurt gave him another small smile. "There's still one thing that I don't really understand," he admitted, "if all you wanted to do was help us all along, why didn't you just come and say so? Why all of the sneaking around and following us?"

"Right, so I come up to you just as you are boarding the ship, and tap you on the shoulder, just like this," Klaus tapped Kurt on the shoulder, "and I say, 'hello there. I'm a friend of your step-mum who found you in a Bavarian river eighteen or so years ago. Oh, by the way, are you blue and furry with fangs and a tail? Because Margali asked me to help someone I once knew who was blue and furry, and had a tail?' I would have scared you off the moment I approached you if I had done that, and don't deny it. Besides, what if I had said that, and you weren't who I thought you were? I might have alerted potential enemies to the existence of the true you, could have, in all intended kindness, caused more trouble than you could handle. There's still a lot of people who don't like mutants very much in this world, especially those that are blue and furry and have fangs and a tail."

"What do you think?" Kurt asked, turning to where Kitty had been silently watching the whole exchange.

Kitty shrugged uncertainly. "Everything he says seems to make sense," she admitted, "and he does seem to know a lot of random stuff about your family, things which suggest that he really is telling the truth."

"Right," Kurt sighed, "that does kind of make sense."

"Look," said Klaus, "I don't blame you for being sceptical, and I don't blame you for being cautious. But I swear I don't mean you any harm. Margali would be really angry with me, if something bad were to happen to you, so, all moral issues aside, I've got to make sure you stay fine in order to avoid Margali yelling at me."

Kurt gave him a small smile. "The last thing I want is to see Margali angry," he said playfully.

"Right," said Klaus again, "so just try and show a little trust, for the moment at least. There's two of you, and only one of me. It would be pretty stupid for me to try and harm you, I know about your mutant powers, and what you can do with them, and I really don't want you to teleport my hands and my feet in opposite directions."

"I never thought about using my powers that way," admitted Kurt, "fine, for the moment at least we can be friends and companions. If I'm honest, I really didn't want to fight you in wolf form anyway; those claws and teeth look dangerous."

Klaus grinned at him. "Oh, they can be, little Kurti, but only when they need to be," he said.

"Little Kurti?" Kurt asked. "No one's called me that since I was about seven or eight."

Klaus merely laughed at his slightly indignant expression, but quietened when Kitty gently put her hand upon his shoulder. "If you want to come with us, we'd be glad to have you as our companion," she said quietly, "but we really should start moving as soon as possible. We have to find this mysterious Island of Avalon and the sleeping king who lies beneath it, and we only have a few days until the blue moon, the time when Narran said that the magic will be at its strongest. We really don't have the time to fight amongst ourselves."

"She's right," said Kurt, as he examined the map in her hand, "according to this, we need to travel east for at least a day, before we reach this Island of Legend."

Klaus merely nodded. "The wolf within me can tell where it is, even from here," he said, sniffing the air slightly. "The wolf knows," he gave a little laugh, "the wolf nose knows."

Then Klaus suddenly looked slightly confused.

"Is something wrong?" Kitty asked uncertainly.

"I'm not sure," Klaus admitted, "there's a strange scent on the wind, sort of familiar yet strange at the same time. The wolf within me can't really understand it."

"It's probably just the smell of the magic of the Island of Legend," said Kurt dismissively, "now, Kitty's right, we really should start making our way towards this place, I've had enough of dragons and werewolves for one day."

"You'll be grateful of my abilities one day, little Kurti," Klaus replied, as they began their journey east.

Unseen by any of them, an adder watched them pass her by, her yellow eyes filled with an unnatural intelligence. There was a moment of indecision as she watched them pass, and then the adder decided to follow them, as they continued to make their way towards the Island of Legend.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 5 –The Hunter and the Hunted_

After an uneventful day spent making reasonable progress travelling towards the west, Kurt, Kitty and Klaus had set up camp in a pleasant tree-lined valley near a fast flowing stream. Kitty sighed contentedly, and leaned against Kurt happily, as she warmed herself by the camp fire, and looked up at the starts as they gradually became visible in the evening sky.

With a little bit of ingenuity, and a great deal of arguing, Klaus and Kurt had managed to create a sort of makeshift tent out of their spare clothes, and sleeping bags out of their coats. Then they had all made a fire using pieces of flint in order to ignite bits of dried wood and grasses. After that, Kurt had begun to forage around for food, demonstrating one of the many skills that he had developed due to his Romani upbringing. From what Kitty had been able to gather, nearly all nomadic Romani soon learned where to find wild berries and herbs, soon learned how to tell which mushrooms were good to eat, and which should be avoided at all cost. Kurt had taught Kitty some basic foraging skills, so that she could at least distinguish between certain types of berries, and could locate wild blackberries growing around the hedgerows. This was a very basic skill, however, when compared to Kurt's ability to forage. It seemed that, to the eyes of Kurt the Romani, the valley contained a feast, if only one knew how to look and what to search for.

They had created a sort of mushroom soup, containing in addition to three different types of mushrooms, various berries and a number of wild herbs. Kitty stirred the soup absently, as Klaus carefully ladled out a cupful, and examined the mushroom within it critically. He gave Kurt a slightly wary look.

"I won't start seeing dancing pink elephants as soon as I eat this, will I?" he asked uncertainly. "I've heard some very strange rumours about Romani mushrooms."

Kurt laughed, "Not unless you've consumed rather too much alcohol first," he assured him, "it's just a normal mushroom. Margali, Stefan, Jimaine and I would often spend an enjoyable afternoon foraging for mushrooms on the first day when our circus arrived at a new village or town."

Kitty gave Kurt an uncertain look. She could see it in his eyes, that sad look that seemed to haunt Kurt whenever he talked about his family. The magic of his bracelet could not hide his sorrow; Kurt was not nearly as effective at hiding his emotions as he seemed to think he was. Kitty put her arms around Kurt and hugged him gently, and Kurt hugged her back, as though Kitty was his lifeline, as indeed perhaps she was.

Klaus watched them both for a long moment, and then carefully took a bite out of the mushroom. "It's good," he said, sounding surprised.

Kurt nodded, "Romani are good at surviving," he said, "we couldn't always rely on others, so we quickly learnt to rely on ourselves."

"You still consider yourself a Romani?" Klaus asked, "Even after spending more than a year with the X-Men."

Kurt shrugged, "I can be both," he said, "I can be a Romani who is also an X-Man; they're not all that different, after all."

Klaus raised an eyebrow sceptically, "Oh?" he asked.

"Of course," Kurt got to his feet, and did a summersault, then leapt up upon the branch of a nearby tree, "As a Romani circus acrobat, I did things like this," he started to do cartwheels along the branch, before leaping down to the ground, and then started to juggle the five pine cones that he found beneath the tree. "Whereas as an X-Man, I use these skills that I honed in the circus to defend our kind, mutants. And, as an X-Man, I also do this," Kurt suddenly vanished in a puff of sulphurous smoke, and reappeared right behind Klaus. He grabbed a stick, and put it to his throat, in a mock threatening gesture, "Now evil-doer, I have you at my mercy," he said dramatically, "relent and cease your evil ways, or I'll teleport your fingers far, far away!" He teleported once more, and a moment later, he appeared behind Kitty. He hugged her gently, and grinned at Klaus playfully; "See?" he said, "I can be both. They fit together really well."

Klaus grinned as he watched him, "Margali said that you were something of a show-off," he said, ladling himself some more of the mushroom soup, "seems that she was right."

"A show-off?" said Kurt, putting a hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture, "me, a show-off? Oh, you wound me to the bone, werewolf, you wound me so," he said. He then turned towards Kitty, "You do not think that I'm a show-off, do you Kitty?" he asked, looking at her with mock worry.

Kitty giggled, "You? Why would anyone ever think such a thing of you?" she said playfully, "You merely have a zest and love of life, an enthusiasm for all it has to offer, and a realisation that it should be enjoyed to the full."

"In other words, you're a show-off," Klaus said, laughing.

"Well, I am an entertainer," Kurt said, in mock defence, "it was my job, my role in life to be enthusiastic, and I did it well. The circus thrived while I was its star, and would probably not have managed nearly as well without my aid." Kurt's tone remained playful, but Kitty could still see the sadness in his eyes, at the thought of his circus family.

"Yes, Margali said as much," Klaus said, "when I was there, your circus was struggling just to make enough to survive. It seems things must have really become a lot easier once they had you as their star."

"For a while," Kurt said, looking down sadly, "but I can't deny that it was partly because of me that disaster happened."

Kitty tightened her grip on Kurt, "No one blames you," she insisted, "stop blaming yourself."

Kurt turned and smiled at her, "I've tried, I really have," he said, "but it just doesn't seem to work."

"Well, if this crazy quest of yours goes to plan, then pretty soon it won't matter what happened in the past, because you'll be sort of undoing it, anyway," Klaus said, taking another sip of his soup. He looked up again, and grinned when he saw Kurt and Kitty gently embracing each other, "You know, if you two love birds don't let go of each other pretty soon, I'll finish up this soup, and there won't be anything left for you," he said.

Kurt grinned at him, "Why, are you jealous?" he asked playfully.

Klaus laughed when he heard that, "No offence, but I'm not really into girls that way," he said.

Kurt shrugged, "Your loss," he said, snuggling closer to Kitty.

"It must be weird for you, watching Kurt," said Kitty thoughtfully, "I mean, you knew him as an infant, and now he's all grown up and in a relationship of his own."

"It does sort of make me feel old," Klaus admitted, "I remember when little Kurti was this big," he held his hands about a foot apart, "all blue and furry and almost always getting into mischief."

"So things have not changed all that much, then," said Kitty with a laugh.

"I hope you're both enjoying teasing me like this," said Kurt, giving them a mock hurt look.

"Yes," said Kitty, grinning at him.

"We most certainly are," Klaus agreed enthusiastically.

"I bet you were really cute as a baby," said Kitty, giving Kurt a mischievous smile.

"Oh, he was," agreed Klaus, "very cute. His sister thought that he looked like a cat. I did too. Oh, and I remember the first time that I saw Kurti naked, when Margali asked me to bathe him. You should have seen him back then, all wet blue fur and waving tail."

"Isn't it someone else's turn to be teased now?" Kurt asked, as he ladled a cupful of soup for himself.

Klaus laughed, but quietened when he saw Kurt's determined expression.

"You," said Kurt, "now it's your turn, werewolf."

"I chose the name Faoladh," said Klaus.

"Fine, Faoladh then," said Kurt, "there's something that's been bothering me for a while now, and it concerns those like you who can change their shape into that of an animal. I'd like answers."

Klaus shrugged, "Fine, ask me anything you want to," he said.

"Right. So, when you become a wolf, what happens to your clothes?"

"What?"

"What happens to your clothes?" Kurt repeated. "I mean, when you change into a wolf, do your clothes just sort of vanish, or do they become a part of your fur, and do you weigh less if you change into a wolf while you are naked, or what?" he asked.

"Um, I'll be honest, I don't really know how it works," Klaus admitted, "all I know is, when I change back from being a wolf, into being who I am now, I'm always wearing the same clothes that I was wearing before I changed into a wolf. I only changed into a wolf once while I was naked, and there is no power on this or any other Earth that will force me to tell you that embarrassing story," he added, his face suddenly becoming rather red.

Kurt gave him a curious look, but merely shrugged, "So you just don't know?" he asked.

"Sorry," said Klaus, "when I'm a wolf, I just don't think about that sort of thing. The wolf, well, it's got a sort of straightforward way of thinking. The whole world is kind of divided up into things that should be attacked, run away from, ignored, or considered a part of the pack. It does not really concern itself with clothes very much. Besides, I thought you said that there was another X-Man with powers much like mine. Why didn't you just ask her, if it concerned you that much?"

"Rahne," said Kurt, nodding, "it's not the sort of thing you ask females unless you are very close to them. You can't just go up to them and say, 'Hello Rahne, oh, by the way, why aren't you naked when you change back from being a wolf?' It's just not the done thing," he said.

"Oh, and you're the perfect gentleman," said Klaus, rolling his eyes.

Kitty grinned at Klaus, "Oh, he can be," she said, "whenever I need him to be." She hugged Kurt still tighter, loving the feel of his silky fur against her skin.

"More romantic stuff?" said Klaus, watching them and laughing, "How am I supposed to cope with all of this?"

"You don't have to," said Kurt, "just change into a wolf, and you can ignore it. Besides, I want to watch and see what happens to your clothes."

Klaus rolled his eyes in mock resignation. "I guess I'll get no peace until I do," he said, "fine, watch and learn."

A moment later, Kurt and Kitty watched as Klaus transformed into wolf form. It was hard to tell what happened to his clothes, as they just seemed to fade as he changed from his human form, and disappear entirely once he was in the form of a large, grey wolf. Klaus then sniffed the air, howled once, and started to run. Kitty gave Kurt a curious look, and then they both raced after Klaus. A moment later, there was the sound of an arrow being fired into the darkness, followed by the sound of a wolf yelping, in fear or pain. Kurt and Kitty ran faster, just as the sound of a second arrow being fired could be heard. Then there was a scream, followed by a terrifying silence. Mere moments later, Kurt and Kitty came to a halt as they saw Klaus, still in the form of a wolf, licking his wounded side, and frothing at the mouth. Barely six feet away from him lay a man with a long grey beard and a leather jacket. He looked to Kitty like he might have been a hunter, but now he would clearly never hunt again, because there was an arrow through his neck, and his life blood was pooling on the ground. Kitty swallowed, suddenly feeling both disgusted and scared, and quickly turned her attention to where Kurt was cautiously approaching Klaus.

"Don't touch him; he will have your hand off in a minute."

Kurt and Kitty turned around to see who had barked the command. A dark-haired woman was emerging from out of the darkness. Judging by her clothes, she seemed to be some kind of huntress. She had a patch over one of her eyes, a steely glint in the other. At her side were maybe a dozen of her companions. Some of them, at least, had to be mutants, judging by the tone of their skins and their extra appendages. The woman, clearly their leader, stepped forward purposefully, turned around once, and nodded to the mutant next to her. He was covered in a sort of armoured carapace, making him look vaguely reminiscent of an armadillo, or perhaps a huge, armoured insect.

"Spike, check to see if my arrow flew true," said the leader of these strange new mutants.

Silently, the armoured mutant cautiously approached the fallen man with the arrow through his throat. Spike put his hand to the neck, paused for a moment, and then nodded in satisfaction. He then yanked the arrow out, and held it above his head. "A perfect shot, Callisto," he said, "this hunter will not be troubling us again."

"You killed him?" asked Kitty, suddenly feeling cold and ever so slightly sick.

Callisto and Spike exchanged a weary glance, and then Callisto purposefully strode over towards the fallen hunter. She reached down and removed something from around his neck, and held it up in front of Kitty's face. It seemed to be a sort of necklace, but it had strange objects attached to it. Some of them looked scarily like human fingers. "See this, girl?" asked Callisto sharply, "These are the fingers of all of the mutants that this hunter has killed. This way, there won't be any more fingers added to this necklace."

Kitty bit her lip as Callisto waved the grim necklace in front of her face. She felt no small amount of shock and horror as she examined the grisly jewellery, and just the tiniest amount of betrayal, "But I thought that the British were more tolerant of mutants than Continental Europe," she said, her voice very quiet.

Callisto then gave her a weary look, and spat on the ground in front of her. "Oh that may very well be so in liberal London, bohemian Brighten and Cosmopolitan Cardiff," she said dismissively, "but go a bit further out of the main cities, travel down into the valleys just a few miles, and suddenly the people become a lot less tolerant of those that don't meet their narrow definition of what a person should be." She turned her attention back to where Kurt was gingerly inspecting Klaus, "I said don't touch him!" she snapped. "It's bad enough that we have one patient to deal with, we really don't need another one right now."

"Patient?" asked Kitty.

Callisto shook her head, and strode purposefully over to where Klaus was still foaming at the mouth, "Curses, he managed to get in a really good shot before we dealt with him," she said, looking at his bleeding side critically. Then she reached into a pouch on her belt, and removed a small vial from within it. "Hold your nose, everyone," she said.

Unsure what else to do, Kitty held her nose, and noticed that everyone else seemed to be doing the same, except for Klaus, who continued to whine and froth at the mouth. Then Callisto poured the green liquid from within the vial over his mouth and wounded side. A moment later, Klaus shut his eyes, and became still and silent. Kitty gave Kurt a worried look, before turning her attention back towards Callisto.

"Oh, don't worry about him," she said, "there was magic on the tip of that arrow that pierced his side, but this will heal him. He's merely asleep. It does mean that he will have to remain in wolf form until he heals, though," she added, "the magic will only work on the form in which it was administered." She turned her attention to a couple of her companions, "We'd better take him back with us, so that we can watch him," she said, "we can't be leaving him out here, there could be more of those hunters around."

Kurt and Kitty again exchanged worried looks, "What are you going to do with him?" Kitty asked.

Callisto sighed, "Oh, don't worry, we're merely going to take him to a place where he can heal properly," she assured her.

"We can't just let you take our friend away like that!" Kurt insisted.

Callisto and Spike once more exchanged weary glances. Callisto sighed, and turned her attention back to Kurt, "Loyalty is all very well," she said, "but it can cause more trouble than it is worth. Still, I can hardly blame you for being cautious, here and now. Fine, accompany us if you must." She then strode off, two of her companions carrying Klaus. None of them looked back to see whether or not Kurt and Kitty were following them. Unsure what else to do, they followed Callisto and her companions as they made their way deep into the forest.

"Who are you?" Kurt asked one of the mutants, as he led them towards his underground lair.

"Us?" he asked. "We call ourselves the Morlocks," he said.


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 6 – In the lair of the Morlocks_

Kitty watched impressed as Kurt swung down from the makeshift trapeze that was hanging from the ceiling of the Morlock's lair. He did a double summersault, and landed on his feet on the carpet below, and then started to do cartwheels along the ground. Callisto came up beside Kitty, and watched in silence for a moment as Kurt once more started to do summersaults, impressing especially the young Morlocks in the front row of their makeshift circus.

"Pretty flexible, that beau of yours," she muttered, sounding grudgingly impressed.

Kitty merely nodded, not taking her eyes off of Kurt. It was hard to tell how long they had been in the Morlock's lair; there seemed to be no clear distinction between night and day within the caves and tunnels that the Morlocks called home, but she doubted that they had been here for more than a day or two. From what she could tell, Klaus was recovering well from the poisoned arrow, but would have to remain within wolf form, caged and muzzled, to stop him from hurting himself or anyone else. Kurt had insisted that they would not leave without him, so that meant that they had little choice but to stay within the Morlock's lair until he was fully recovered.

Not that staying with the Morlocks was exactly unpleasant. Kitty was pretty impressed with the subterranean world that the Morlocks had created for themselves. It seemed that, after being rejected by the world above, the Morlocks had simply rejected that world in turn, and built a world of their own underneath their former homes. Kitty was not sure exactly what she had been expecting their lair to be like; perhaps some form of rabbit warren, and indeed, the Morlock's lair did seem a bit like a huge warren. It was made out of a complicated arrangement of tunnels, leading off into various caves where the Morlocks had created storage rooms, sleeping quarters and areas for socialising and for the younger Morlocks to play in. Yet the Morlocks had managed to create comfort, and even a sort of luxury out of the very earth from which they made their home. The Morlocks had created a means of purifying water and using this water to help to cultivate a sort of underground garden made of the hardiest plants Kitty had ever seen, which seemed to be able to thrive even without direct sunlight. There were also mushroom gardens and places where the Morlocks made everything that they needed, from clothes, to cooked food, to toys for the youngest members of the Morlocks clan. It was strange, but in a weird kind of way, the Morlocks lair sort of reminded Kitty of Kurt's own family home; it was a world that was quite self-contained, with little contact with the outside world; a way of life that was connected yet at the same time separate from the rest of society.

Kitty looked up at where Kurt was once again doing summersaults, far above her head. They were currently in one of the largest of the interconnected caves, in what she had come to think of as the Great Hall, as it seemed to be a place where meetings were conducted, a social area where the Morlocks could come and discuss any issues that were proving to be troublesome or important concerning their way of life. So far, Kitty and Kurt seemed to be something of a talking point, for it seemed that the Morlocks did not often have what were essentially visitors to their abode. Kurt, clearly sensing potential animosity, and wanting to avoid any unnecessary conflict, had offered to perform a show for the Morlocks, to demonstrate a small fraction of what he used to do when he worked as a circus acrobat. It was also because Kurt had been brought up to believe that he should never take advantage of anyone else's hospitality if at all possible, but to always pay his own way, to earn everything that he desired. It had initially seemed strange to Kitty that someone who identified himself as a Romani would feel this way, but from what Kurt had explained to her, this was a far more common Romani attitude than the more stereotypical one of the greedy gypsy, desperate to exploit everyone not of his clan in order to satisfy his own desires. Of course, Kitty knew that Kurt did tend to idealise his family at times, so it was possible that he was presenting a not entirely unbiased view of Romani society.

Most of the Morlocks had been enthusiastic for Kurt to put on a show for them, since many of them had never seen a circus, and many more not since their mutations had developed. The Morlocks had therefore arranged for this makeshift circus to be erected, allowing Kurt to perform, once more, in front of an adoring crowd. Kitty smiled as she watched Kurt leap gracefully from the trapeze onto a small ledge. Callisto was certainly right, her fuzzy elf was very flexible, not to mention graceful and handsome. Even if it were possible to ignore his pointed ears and deep blue fur, he still looked elfin, with an unusual grace and sharp features that were almost dainty, yet hid a degree of strength that he was even now demonstrating, as he leapt over the giggling Morlocks in the front row.

Kitty knew that Kurt's unusual appearance had been a cause of self-consciousness for Kurt growing up, even though he had spent his childhood in a circus where he had been both accepted and loved. Many of the Morlocks had not been so lucky. Indeed, Kurt's mutation could be considered as a blessing when compared against many of the mutations that the Morlocks had experienced. Kurt's mutation gave him many enviable abilities; the ability to climb up walls, a level of athleticism and flexibility almost unmatched even amongst many professional athletes, and the ability to teleport. Indeed, it was only really the way in which certain people had perceived his appearance and abilities as being evil that had been the real disadvantage of his mutation. Not that this should be understated, since it had already led to him being nearly burnt to death twice, and developing a phobia of fire that he was only now beginning to be able to get under some form of control.

Yet the Morlocks had experienced mutations that had often given them a number of serious disadvantages, and had in many instances made them a danger to society, such as the young Morlock whose power had quite literally drained the life-force from all around her, accidently killing her parents and little brother. She had run away from home, and found a refuge with the Morlocks, who had managed to devise a sort of armour that she had to wear whenever she was in public to prevent her from harming anyone. Then there was the Morlock Dura, who was the same age as Kitty, and whose mutation had apparently manifested at around the same time. Dura had suddenly found her skin turning into rock and granite, and had developed a level of strength that she could neither understand nor control. In confusion, she had run into her garden to take comfort by spending time with her loyal pet, a black Labrador, only to accidently break the poor creature's back when petting him. Although the dog had fortunately survived, Dura had felt that she was not safe to be around 'normal' people, and had run away, again finding comfort and a family of sorts with the Morlocks. There were many stories of these sorts, where the Morlocks had, without ever wanting to, developed powers that proved to be dangerous to those around them, and so had been forced to leave their home in the world above. There were also those whose powers were not in any way dangerous, but which others found to be disgusting in some manner. There was one young Morlock who had the unenviable mutation that he kept secreting a sort of slime, and Kitty had to admit, shamefully, that even she had felt rather disgusted when she had first seen him. There were also others who had skin that was green or bright yellow, or who had mutated fingers or toes. Indeed, by comparison to some of the Morlocks, Kurt looked positively normal. Kitty looked down sheepishly, feeling shamed that so many of the Morlocks had been judged so harshly due to the mutations that they had neither asked for, nor wanted. Kitty found herself feeling guilty that she too had silently judged some of the Morlocks in this way when she had first met them. She looked up slowly, and smiled at the young Morlock that she caught looking at her. She had seen that same look in the eyes of many of the Morlocks since she had entered their lair – a longing, a deep desire to be like her, to have a power that was neither obvious, nor in its nature fundamentally harmful. The Morlocks always looked away in shame whenever they noticed that she had seen that look in their eyes - that longing look, as though they themselves felt guilty of their jealousy towards her.

"Got to admit that tail of his must present some pretty interesting fun for your marriage," said Callisto, staring up approvingly at where Kurt was leaping from one ledge to another.

Kitty felt herself blush at the insinuation. It was not as if she was a prude, quite the reverse, and she could not deny that she had thought that Kurt's tail could lead to, well, a certain amount of playful entertainment, but that was a private matter between Kurt and herself, not something she wanted to discuss with anyone else, and certainly not someone that she had just met. Feeling her face getting hotter, Kitty looked down, and quickly decided to change the subject, "He started teaching Circus Skills at the institute a few months ago, he also teaches a number of languages," she said.

"Popular course is it, this Circus Skills?" asked Callisto.

Kitty grinned, "Very popular, it's the only course where students can earn credit for clowning around."

Callisto gave a little laugh, the turned her attention back to where Kurt was finishing his show, "I still think that tail could have a number of very interesting applications," she said thoughtfully.

Kitty once more decided that it might be for the best if she were to change the subject, "You have a very impressive place down here," she said.

Callisto nodded, "Yes, quite a rabbit warren we've made here, we, the rejects of society, have formed an underground society all of our own."

"I'm sorry," said Kitty, "sorry you had to endure all that. It must have been terrible to feel so rejected."

Callisto merely shrugged, "They rejected us, we rejected them. It's all one."

Kurt literally leapt over her head, and landed on all fours besides Kitty, bowing enthusiastically, "Thank you, thank you, my adoring subterranean fans!" he said.

Kitty laughed, "Klaus was right, you really are a show-off," she said, hugging him affectionately.

"More, I want more, I want to see you do all that again!" one of the youngest Morlocks tugged on Kurt's jacket, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"Sorry, this is thirsty work," he said, taking the glass of water that was offered to him by another Morlock, "I'll do another show later, if you want, but after I've rested."

"Why not?" Callisto asked, "It will be good to have a bit of light frivolity before we go to war with Britain above."

"What!" Kurt demanded, spluttering out water, and nearly choking.

"We're not going to stay down here forever," Callisto said calmly, "as I said before, the world above rejected us, so we rejected them in turn. We've got a lot of mutant power down here, all we have to do is know where to focus it, to take on the world above, so we'll never have to be hunted or hated again."

"But war…" Kurt looked down, and his tail started to sway from side to side, a clear indication of his agitation.

"They brought the war to us when they rejected us," Callisto explained calmly, "besides, we have a right to defend ourselves."

"Defending yourselves is one thing, war is another," Kurt said slowly.

"And just what right do you have to criticise us over anything?" demanded Callisto, "You said yourself that you grow up in an idealistic environment; you're handsome and smart and strong and agile. Do you know how many Morlocks would give their right arm to have had your life? Your life has been unthinkingly easy when compared to any one of us, so don't think that you have the right to judge us when we try to protect our home and ourselves."

Kurt looked down, "My life hasn't always been easy, but I don't deny that I've had things a lot easier than many of you," he said quietly, "and no one denies your right to defend yourselves and your homes. But if you take war to those who rejected you above, then innocent people will be hurt, will be killed."

"And I'm sorry about that," Callisto said, "truly. But the price of freedom is always great, and I'm prepared to sacrifice the lives of a few Eloi if it means we can finally live free from fear and persecution."

"Eloi," Kurt repeated, "your word for those who aren't like you, not mutants, not Morlocks?"

Callisto nodded, "Exactly," she said, "it's not as if they are real people after all."

The look that Kurt gave Callisto was colder than any Kitty had ever seen. For the first time since she had come to know Kurt, Kitty felt afraid of him. Kurt was positively shaking with fury. He turned around slowly, clenching his hands into fists, and then turned back and glared at Callisto, his eyes literally glowing in dim light of the Morlocks' lair. "Not real people? Not real people!" he snapped. "Do you know what people do to other people when they think that they are not real people? Well, do you? It was not that long ago that I met myself from another world, and he told me what they do to people when they think that they're not real people, and it's not pretty, not at all. Oh yes, because none of us here would have managed to fit their narrow definition of real people, not mutants, not gypsies, not gays," he cast a quick look over to where Klaus was still sleeping soundly in his cage, "we wouldn't fit their definition of real people, so it would be fine to kill us, and hunt us, and care less about us than the ground beneath our feet! Do you know how much they'd like me; an obvious mutant brought up by gypsies and engaged to a Jew? About the only way that they could hate me more is if I didn't like girls. And if you take this feeling, this war to the world above, then you enter a very dark place, from which you might never be able to free yourself again."

"Impressive speech," said Callisto, although she did not sound in the least bit impressed, "but you fail to mention one thing – how exactly do you plan to stop us, when we go to war with the world above?"

"I'll find a way," Kurt said, his voice becoming suddenly incredibly quiet.

"And you think that you'll be able to do that, do you?" Callisto challenged.

"Either that, or die trying," Kurt replied.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Thanks mysticdragon for your review, I'm glad you like this story so far. I'm also not generally a fan of original characters, although there are many examples of original characters within fanfictions that are interesting, flawed, and useful to the overall plot of the story. An original character does not have to mean a dull and boring Mary Sue – unfortunately, all too often this is what happens. As for Klaus – he is an original character, originally from my other story _The Foundling._ The main plot of this story is that Margali finds the infant Kurt (Kurti) and tries to figure out what to do about him. Since Kurt is a new born, he can't, when you get right down to it, do very much within this story, so I needed other characters for Margali to interact with. I was thinking that it would be useful if she had a teenage errand boy who could help Margali with random tasks, and that it might be interesting to have an outsider's point of view of the circus from a teenager who had run away to join the circus. This eventually led to the character of Klaus. Don't worry, I know that the canon characters are the ones that people are interested in, so do my best to focus on them, using original characters only in supporting roles within my fanfictions. Hope this helps. Now, on with the tale;

_Chapter 7 – Callisto's Decision_

There was an awkward silence as Kurt stared defiantly at Callisto for what felt like a very long time, but was in fact less than a minute. Kitty watched them both nervously, hoping that there would not be bloodshed.

Finally, Spike coughed, and came between Kurt and Callisto, clearly attempting to lighten the mood. "Right, well, I think we can all agree that Kurt's attempt not to cause any conflict within our domain has ended in a miserable failure," he said.

"It's not about me," said Kurt quietly, "it's about everyone else. I know Britain above has not exactly treated you fairly, but if you go to war with them, it can only have dire consequences, not just for them, but for you too."

"So we just stay here forever?" Callisto demanded, "Rot inside our underground lair while they continue to hunt and kill us? That might work on the Continent, but here we fight for our rights."

"So fight, defend yourselves, do what is necessary to survive," Kurt said, "but going to war with those above is far more than just that." Kurt gave her an awkward smile, "Believe me, I know what it feels like to be hated and hunted, to come far too close to the flames of hatred from those who are terrified of that which is different, those who seek to destroy that which they cannot understand. I still have the scars, both literal and metaphorical. But people do change over time. It happens slowly, but it does happen. People are becoming more tolerant of mutants, you said yourself that in the towns and major cities people tend to accept us more. And they do have the right to be afraid of us. I've spoken to many of your people, who have told me about what happened when their powers first manifested. All too often this caused all sorts of trouble, and was in some cases fatal."

"They could not control their powers then," Callisto pointed out, "that's why we need places like this, and your Institute, to teach us how to manage our abilities."

"Yes," said Kurt, "but the fact still remains that their powers were dangerous, uncontrolled, and that people had a right to be afraid of them. From a purely practical point of view, a mother doesn't care if a mutant is intentionally causing harm to her children, or doing this accidentally, she just wants to protect her children. I cannot blame her for that."

"So what are you saying?" Callisto demanded, "That we should come back with you, join this Institute of yours, become registered mutants, tame servants of the Eloi?"

"Of course not…" Kurt interrupted.

"Because that's what it sounds like," Callisto said, "get registered, be good little boys and girls, do only what the Eloi tell us we can do, accept the scraps from their table and be grateful for that. Well, let me tell you something; there will always be free spirits who refuse to bend and bow to the demands of the dictating elites, those who will not be controlled by unjust rules that target their groups. You, as a Romani, should know that better than anyone. And why make you a criminal just because you refuse to adhere to unfair and discriminatory demands? Just one more reason for them to hate and kill us, as though they needed more of an excuse."

"I know the issue about registration is complex," said Kurt quietly, "but the fact is, both Kitty and I have powers that grant us access to places where we would not otherwise be able to go. This could be a danger to all sorts of people, who, just like you, only want to protect their own. You might say that we would not abuse our powers like that, and I sincerely hope that you are right, but there are mutants that can control minds, can control others, so we are potentially a danger as long as such mutants exist. Being registered at least shows a willingness to cooperate with those who don't have our powers, and with the law of the land."

"Oh, I've heard this argument before," Callisto said, rolling her eyes, "I know it only too well. People who have deadly weapons have to be registered, you can't own a crossbow unless you register with the authorities. Great, that works wonderfully for crossbows, but the simple fact of the matter is that a mutant can't choose whether or not he can shoot beams out of his eyes, he is just blessed or cursed with that ability. So you make mutants potentially criminals for having powers that they neither asked for, nor wanted."

"There's another way," said Kurt, and held up his copper bracelet, "this allows me to hide my true form when in a situation where I might be in danger. They can't see the true me, so they don't feel threatened or scared. It has allowed me a level of freedom I could have only dreamed about as a child."

Callisto carefully took the bracelet from Kurt, and examined it sceptically, "You shouldn't have to hide who you truly are," she said.

"You're right, I shouldn't," Kurt said, "but you're also right that fear and hatred of the very different dies slowly. Until they reach a point where they can accept us, in all our mutant glory, objects like this can allow us to have something approaching a normal life. And the people are changing," he added, "when I spoke to the other Kurt, he said that he used to wear something like this all of the time when he was out in public, to disguise who he really was. But now he hardly ever wears it, and people, mostly, generally, from many different worlds, accept him for who and what he is. And our world is slowly becoming more like that world. I know it's happening slowly, but it is happening."

Callisto was silent for a moment, staring down at the bracelet, an uncertain look in her eye. Kurt apprehensively laid a hand on her shoulder, "I know that the wizard-professor Charles Xavier would be willing to make one of these for all of you who want one, and I know that it can give you a level of freedom that I have enjoyed. And, not long before we left home, we found out that there has been an invention that can stop mutant powers, necklaces that can be worn to prevent our powers from working. Believe me, I know that some mutants regard these things as a blessing; there are some even within our Academy whose powers can cause all kinds of trouble when they are not controlled. Just try, that's all I ask."

"And if it fails?" Callisto demanded.

"At least try first," Kurt said.

"I still say that we should go to war with Britain above," said a burly mutant by Callisto's side, "they deserve to suffer for the way in which they have treated us."

"Revenge?" Kurt sighed, "Hatred? Believe me, if the other Kurt was right, then that will lead to a very dark place indeed. Listen, I can't blame you for feeling angry with those who have rejected you, but if you do go to war with them, you will just be leading them into thinking that they were right all along about mutants, that they, that we, deserve to be hunted and killed, for they also want to defend the safety of those they consider family and kin."

"We also only want to defend ourselves, and our kin, what is so bad about that?" Callisto asked.

"Listen," Kurt sighed, "it all starts so reasonably. We just want to protect ourselves, our home, our people. Who can blame them? Then it becomes, well, let's just give money to charities in our own land, we need to sort out the problems at home before worrying about those abroad. Then it's, oh, I just want to protect my family, protect them from the dangers posed by those other people, the people out there that are not like us, the mutants, the gypsies, the gays, the Jews," Kurt swallowed, and Kitty was surprised to see tears in his eyes. Kurt looked away, "you don't want to know how it ends," he said quietly, "I'll spare you all that."

Kitty smiled at Kurt reassuringly, "That would never happen in our world," she said, "lots of bad things might have happened in the other Kurt's world, but they could never happen in ours."

"I'd like to believe that, Kitty, I really would," Kurt said, "but the simple fact is, I can see more parallels between their world and ours than I would have thought possible, and the very thoughts that led to such bad things happening in their world I am seeing right here, right now. Had things gone just a little bit differently, I could have been all sorts of things, everything from a priest to a Nazi."

"What's a Nazi?" asked Kitty.

Kurt sighed again, "Someone who really doesn't like our people," he said, "but what's scarier is seeing that I could have so easily become one of them, if things had gone just a little bit differently."

"Kurt, you're not one of these other Kurts, you're you, the funny, playful, adorable acrobat that I know and love," Kitty said, trying to reassure Kurt as best she could.

"But that's just it," Kurt said, "I'm me, but I might not have been. If things had gone just a little bit differently, I'd be someone else. And I am! The other Kurts, all through these other worlds, they are me, or a me that would have been me if things had been a bit different."

Callisto stared at him, shaking her head in confusion, "Are you sure you were not bitten by a rabid werewolf?" she asked, "Because what you're saying sounds like the ravings of a mad man."

"I know it's strange," Kurt admitted, "it's hard for me to understand, the idea that there are all of these other Kurts out there, and they're all me, but at the same time, they're not me, but a version of me that would be me if things had gone differently."

"I'm having trouble understanding all of this," Kitty admitted, "besides; I thought the Kurt and Kitty we met were really nice."

"Yes, they were, and so were a great deal of others," Kurt said, "but not all of them, and they are all us, or at least us if things had gone differently. I could be really evil."

"No, never," said Kitty reassuringly.

"No, it's in me," said Kurt quietly, "I can feel it. Part of me wants revenge on those who have hurt me, just as the Morlocks want revenge on those who have hurt them. I wish it wasn't there, but it is, and I can't deny it." He gave Callisto a small smile, "That's how I know that what you are doing will cause more trouble than you can possibly imagine. Because it's in me, and I'm pretty sure it's in a lot of others too, the wanting to hurt those that they don't see as a part of their group, their kin, their fold. I fear it, but I'm now fairly sure that Mystique was right that it's inside me, in the blood, if you like."

"Kurt, you are nothing like Mystique," Kitty said.

"Except that I'm her son," Kurt sighed, "let's face facts, I'm the son of a mutant terrorist. It's who I am, and there's nothing I can do about it," he turned his attention back to Callisto once more, "nothing except do my utmost to try and stop others from becoming like her," he added, "because that is the path that you are following right now. At least attempt to try a different way. Please."

Spike nodded towards Kurt, and then smiled at Callisto, "It sounds to me like this boy knows more about war and darkness than any one should have to know," he said, "perhaps, just perhaps, we should try another way first. Accept these rings and bracelets and things, give people a chance. Surely it has to be preferable to war."

Callisto looked down, "So even you are against me now?" she asked.

"This isn't about sides," Spike said, "most of us see going to war with Britain above as a last resort, but one we are willing to take if there are no other options. Now there is another option. Surely, we owe it to the Morlocks to try this way first."

Callisto turned around, and faced the watching Morlocks, "Very well," she said, "we will put it to the vote. All those in favour of using these bracelets and rings and things to try to integrate once more into the society of Britain above, raise your hands."

There was a tense moment of silence, then Spike raised his hand, followed by Dura, and then more than three-quarters of the Morlocks raised their hands. Callisto merely nodded, then turned back to Kurt. "Well, democracy has voted in your favour," she said. "I have lost, I can accept that. I will leave by daylight tomorrow, since my ways are not their ways."

"No-one wants you to leave," said Kurt, "honestly, what you have created here is incredible. A home for those who had nowhere else to go, a place of refuge for the unwanted, it's amazing. Both Klaus and I found such a place in Margali's circus, more than eighteen years ago. And the Morlocks need a strong leader, and I do not see anyone doubting that you are that. But just not a war leader, a leader who could lead her people into a new age of cooperation and friendship with those she once thought of as enemies."

"I think cooperation and friendship and tolerance is too much to expect. Peace and acceptance is the best I can realistically hope for right now," Callisto said.

"Then I guess that's good enough, although people might surprise you," replied Kurt.

"But I will be leaving tomorrow," said Callisto, and then quickly raised her hands for silence when some of the Morlocks began to object, "temporally, just for a few hours. I have to show our guests the tunnels that lead to Avalon; it will be much easier if they use them than if they try to make their way over land."

"You've been there?" Kitty asked, startled.

"Oh yes, I've been there, met the great Wizard Ambrosius and his precious sleeping King," said Callisto, and then pointed to her eye patch, "that was how I lost my eye."


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 8 – The Tunnel_

"Wake-up, sleepy-head," said Callisto, shaking Kitty gently until she groggily opened her eyes, "its sunrise."

Kitty shook her head to clear it, and sat up slowly on her bed, "How can you tell down here?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You get used to it after a while," said Callisto with a slight shrug, "meet me in our meeting hall as soon as you're ready," then she left without a backwards glance.

"She really has to work on her people skills," Kurt muttered from the adjoining room where he was bathing, "she could be a really great leader if she wasn't so, well, abrasive all the time."

Kitty yawned, and got out of bed, "I think that's just the way she is," she said thoughtfully, "I guess you have to display a certain amount of strength when you're the leader of a group of rebels like the Morlocks."

"Strength's one thing," Kurt said, returning to the bedchamber, "but both Margali and Xavier can show strength while still demonstrating compassion."

Kitty kissed Kurt gently on the cheek, "It's just the way she is," she assured him, as she stepped into the adjoining chamber and had a quick shower. Kitty got dressed and hugged Kurt, "Still, I guess we had better not keep her waiting too long, I really don't think I would like to see her if she were to be truly angry."

Kurt nodded and followed as Kitty made her way towards the meeting hall. It seemed much larger than it had done previously, now that it was practically deserted. The only Morlocks there were Spike and Callisto, and by their side, in human form once more, was Klaus.

Callisto looked Klaus up and down for a moment, "You look good in human," she said after a moment.

Klaus gave Kitty a confused look, but she just shrugged.

"That's just her way of saying hello," said Kurt, "how are you feeling?"

"Truthfully?" Klaus asked, "Like someone dropped a house on my head and then set me on fire just to make sure."

"Good, that means that the medicine we gave you is working," said Callisto, "if it wasn't working, it wouldn't hurt."

"See what I mean about her bedside manner?" Kurt whispered to Kitty.

Kitty giggled quietly, and then turned her attention back to Klaus, "What do you remember?" she asked.

"It's sort of fuzzy," Klaus admitted, "I remember that we were talking, and then you asked me to turn into a wolf. Then there was this strange sort of scent, and I could not seem to stop myself from running towards it. The rest is sort of muddled, but I think I was shot at some point."

"We call them Siren Scent bombs," Callisto said, "We've lost quite a few of our people thanks to them. Clever things, smart invention of our enemies, those Siren Scent bombs. Release one into the air, and any mutant that smells it when in the form of an animal cannot seem to resist running towards it. So our enemies get an easy target, a Morlock running straight towards them, straight towards his doom. Luckily for you, we found you here first."

Klaus gave Kitty a slightly confused look.

"I don't know about these Siren Scent bombs," she admitted, "but we've been staying with the Morlocks since you've been sick. They're our friends," she gave Callisto a sideways look, to see if she would disagree with this, but Callisto did not seem to notice.

"When you've quite finished with all this chit-chat," said Callisto, "we have a sleeping king to go and see. He's been waiting over a thousand years for an audience with you; do you really think that we should keep him waiting any longer?"

"I'd have thought that, if he's been waiting that long, a couple more days wouldn't have made that much difference," Kurt whispered to Kitty, but quickly turned his attention back to Callisto when he saw her glaring at him.

"The tunnel leading to Avalon is this way," she said, pointing to her left, "I take it you can talk and walk at the same time?"

"Fine, I understand," muttered Kurt, "I just wanted to make sure that Klaus was well enough to travel with us."

"I'll manage," Klaus assured him.

"Good," said Callisto, and then turned her attention towards Spike, "You're in charge until I get back. Hopefully there won't be a revolution in that time."

Spike gave a little laugh, "I'll try to keep some degree of order while you are gone," he assured her, "although it may not be easy."

"Nothing worthwhile ever is," Callisto replied, and then turned her attention back towards Kurt, Kitty and Klaus, "Well, are you three coming?" she asked, as she lead the way towards the tunnel.

They merely nodded and then followed Callisto into the indicated tunnel. For a long while, they travelled in silence. The tunnel seemed surprisingly well lit, and Kitty wondered if this was because it contained some form of bioluminescent plants or other life forms. She wondered if Callisto knew the answer, but Callisto did not seem to be in the mood for talking, as she seemed to be intent on keeping moving along the tunnel at an impressive speed, without any unnecessary distractions. Kitty felt suddenly glad for all of the training sessions that she had had with the X-Men, all of the times that she had had to race against mutants larger and more athletic than herself, for she was sure that she would not have been able to keep pace with Callisto otherwise. Finally, after what felt like maybe three or four hours of constant walking, Callisto stopped so abruptly that Kurt bumped into her. She turned around, glared at him momentarily, and then handed him a flask of water, which he silently accepted. "We will have a quick break here, unless there are any objections," she said, handing another flask of water to Kitty and then one to Klaus, "the tunnel becomes narrower as we pass closer to the lake, so we will have to crawl on our hands and knees. I hope there are no objections to this."

"No objections," said Klaus, after a moment of awkward silence, "but one question, how do you know about all of this?"

Callisto gave him a wry smile, "Oh, I've been here before, werewolf, quite a while ago," she said, "when I was much like your friend here," she nodded towards Kurt, "idealistic and naïve. That changed when I lost my eye. Still, I was apparently luckier than many, at least I only lost an eye; so many have lost much more than that. They were comparatively tolerant towards me, realised that everything that I wanted to do was to help my people, the Morlocks. They have little sympathy for those who come to them with purely selfish wishes, but are more sympathetic towards those who want to help their kin." She sighed, and shook her head, "I failed, but who knows, maybe you will succeed where I could not. In his own way, the sleeping king plays fair, no discrimination, no prejudice, and no tolerance of time-wasters, or those who simply want a quick way to get rich and powerful. But they won't let me into the mountain again."

"Why not?" asked Klaus.

"You get one chance, and one chance only," Callisto explained, "and if you fail, well, that's it, no second try allowed. It's fine, I really don't want to go there again anyway. Besides, I doubt very much, werewolf, that you would be allowed inside."

"Why not?" this time it was Kurt who asked the question.

"Because this is your quest," Callisto explained, "ultimately, you will have to fight alone, because that's the only way that you will prove whether or not you are worthy of the sleeping king's help. How else could he tell, after all, unless you were to be tested alone? He would just be testing your companions, rather than your own strength. And though having companions who are willing to stay with you and help you all they can is necessary, it is hardly sufficient to earn the sleeping king's aid."

"But surely I can come with him?" Kitty asked, "Even if no-one else can help him, surely I should be allowed to assist him?"

"Moments of truth are always faced alone," Callisto replied, giving a small shrug, "but I doubt even the sleeping king could keep you two apart for more than a few moments, it's as if you're joined at the hip."

"Thank you," said Kitty.

"That wasn't a compliment," Callisto replied.

Kitty gave her a wry grin, "I know," she said.

"Take it any way you want," said Callisto, giving her a wry smile, "but we had better get moving again now that everyone has had a chance to get some rest." With that, she turned around, and made her way once more along the tunnel. They had been travelling for maybe an hour when Kitty could finally see light shining up ahead in the distance. Callisto nodded towards it, "The light at the end of the tunnel, if that isn't too much of a cliché," she said, "that means that we're nearly at this great mountain of yours." She reached inside a pouch at her side, and pulled out a small, purple key, which she handed to Kurt.

Kurt examined it carefully, "It's a key," he said.

"And the prize for stating the obvious goes to the blue acrobat," Callisto said sarcastically, "you'll need that to get inside. Once the lake parts, you'll come up to this great big oaken doorway. Just press that key to the hinges, and the door will open, it took me far too long to figure that out last time, and I believe you're on a tight schedule here."

"Why are you giving it to me?" Kurt asked curiously.

Callisto shrugged, "Last time I came to this place, I was told to give it to the next person who came looking for the sleeping king, providing I thought that he seemed worthy enough to get his help, that is. You speak in fancy words, and you seem to believe what you say, I guess that makes you worthy enough."

Kurt gave her a small smile, "You know, despite your rather abrasive manner, you can be pretty nice sometimes," he said.

"Well, don't tell everyone, I have a reputation to keep up," Callisto muttered irritably, as they reached the end of the tunnel. "Once you get inside, there will be this impressive corridor with loads and loads of doors coming off of it. There will be writing on the doors, but you won't be able to understand most of it. That's fine; those are doors to other worlds, other stories which are not yours, so you can ignore them. Some of the writing that you can read also won't make a great deal of sense to you, but that's fine too, those also don't lead you to where you want to go. I don't really pretend to understand it, but somehow this mountain isn't quite in any world, but a sort of place between worlds, a place where you can reach other worlds that are not your own," Callisto shrugged, "but you can just ignore all of those doors anyway. Just keep going until you find one that means something to you."

"What will it say?" Kitty asked.

"How should I know?" demanded Callisto, "This is Kurt's quest, Kurt's story, not mine. It will mean something to him, but it probably wouldn't mean anything to me. Now, we've reached the lake; let me do the talking when we get outside."

"We're relying on her people skills?" Kurt whispered sceptically to Kitty, who merely giggled as Kurt helped her out of the tunnel.

For a moment, Kitty found the sun blinding after spending so many hours inside the tunnel, and it took her a few minutes to adjust to the light. When she could see properly, she noticed a beautiful lady, dressed all in white, and apparently walking across a lake towards them.

Callisto did not look impressed. "Never mind the theatrics, Lake Lady," she said, "water bugs can do that just as well as you can."

"You should not have come back here, not after your warning last time," the strange Lady of the lake spoke quietly, but there was nevertheless a note of threat in her tone of voice.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist," said Callisto, "I'm merely a guide here, I don't want to enter your precious mountain." She then stepped aside, and pointed to Kurt, "he does."

"Ah," the strange lady moved forward, and looked at Kurt curiously, "and do you think that you are worthy to meet with the sleeping king?" she asked him.

Kurt looked down for a moment, his tail thrashing wildly behind him as it always did whenever he was nervous or unsure of himself. "Truthfully?" he asked, "I really don't know. But if there is even a chance that I can save my family, then I have to take that chance, and I'm willing to try this or anything else, if that is what it takes."

The mysterious woman merely nodded, "An honest answer," she said, "humble but determined; it will do. You and your lady alone may enter."

Kurt turned to Klaus, suddenly feeling unsure, but Klaus merely shrugged, "It's fine, we knew I wouldn't be allowed inside anyway. Besides, the wolf within me has been scenting something out here, and I really want to investigate it."

"As long as it isn't another Siren Scent bomb," Callisto muttered, "they caused enough trouble last time."

Klaus shook his head, "No, it's not one of those, and don't worry, if I do scent one, I'll just turn human again before it has a chance to have any effect."

Kurt nodded, "Are you scenting any danger?" he asked.

Klaus looked uncertain, "Perhaps," he admitted, "but it's also familiar, and I think I understand how to deal with it now. Don't worry about me; your quest is inside that mountain, not out here."

"The truth has been spoken," said the mysterious Lady of the Lake. Then she pointed towards the lake, which parted when she waved her hand towards it, revealing a small, narrow path leading up towards the mountain.

"More theatrics," muttered Callisto, giving a meaningful yawn.

Kurt smiled at Callisto, "Thank you for your help," he said sincerely.

"You can thank me most by succeeding in this quest of yours," she replied, "now if you'll all excuse me, I have a load of Morlocks that I have to attend to," without a backwards glance, she returned to the tunnel from which she had recently emerged.

Kurt gave the Lady of the Lake a small smile, "She's quite nice, when you get used to her," he said.

"Indeed," she replied, "but now you must face the challenges of the sleeping king of the mountain, and she can aid you no more with your quest. Enter now, before the lake returns to the way it once was."

Kurt took Kitty's hand, and together they made their way along the path towards the mountain.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 9 – The Corridor _

Kurt grinned at Kitty, and reached up towards the metal frame of the door, "Well, let's see if this works," he said. He placed the key that Callisto had given to him against the hinges of the door, and then stepped back, looking at the door uncertainly.

For a moment, absolutely nothing happened. Then the wooden door started to creak, and open slowly, revealing a huge corridor inside the mountain. There were doors all along the corridor, just as Callisto had said there would be. The corridor stretched on into the distance, and appeared to have identical doors all along its length. Kitty walked up to the nearest door, and examined the strange markings just above her head. They seemed to be made of vertical lines of various lengths and dots of different colours. It was quite possible that it was some form of writing, but unlike any sort of writing that Kitty had ever seen before. She examined the next door along the corridor, which had a sort of picture writing upon it, depicting what looked like snakes and elephants dancing with each other. She was just going to look at the third door, when Kurt called to her, "Come and look at this," he said.

Kitty ran over, and noticed the characters on the door. They seemed to be some form of Asian writing, but she could not read the words.

"I think it's Japanese," said Kurt thoughtfully.

Kitty nodded, "It looks like it," she said uncertainly, "do you know what it says?"

Kurt stared at it for a moment, "I remember the strong man who used to work at Margali's circus, Shiro. He was from Edo. If I remember correctly, he had to go home because his Mum was ill, but I was only about seven or eight when he left, so I'm not too sure. But he taught me a couple of symbols. He traced one of the symbols on the door with his finger, "If I remember correctly, this one means man, or person, and this one," he pointed to another symbol, "means a possessive, something belonging to the, er, person, I think," Kurt said uncertainly.

"I don't think that's our door," said Kitty, after a moment's hesitation, "I think if it was meant for us, it would be easier for us to understand."

Kurt sighed, "I guess so," he said, "I guess we had better keep looking. Tell me if you see one in a language you understand."

Kitty nodded, and walked along the row of doors for several minutes. They all had what she supposed must be writing on them, although for a long time she could make no sense of what was actually written upon the doors. Although she was not sure, she thought she recognised some of the graphics on one of the doors as being ancient Egyptian, and the writing on another door as being possibly Chinese. She walked a little further, and finally found a door with writing on it in a language that she could actually understand. "Kurt, come and have a look at this," she said uncertainly.

Kurt came running towards her, and examined the words critically for a moment, "Well, I understand the words," he said uncertainly, "but not when they're put together like that; 'If you are on a Federation spaceship, don't, whatever you do, wear a red shirt, it has proven fatal, time and time again,'" he correctly read, "I really don't think that's our door either."

"Yes, I guess you are right," Kitty said, "I suppose we had better keep looking."

Kurt nodded, and for a few minutes they both examined more of the doors with the mysterious writings on them. After a while, Kurt muttered, "Well, I guess that makes sense."

Kitty came running over to him, and examined the writing on the door; "'It's best to avoid using love potions, they almost always cause more trouble than they are worth.'" Kitty shrugged, and then smiled at Kurt, "It's not as if you need one of those love potions anyway," she said, "I think we should just keep looking."

"I guess so," said Kurt, "but just when I'm starting to understand some of what all of this says, I find myself unable to work out what it all means."

Kitty grinned at him. "Life can be like that sometimes," she said, "but it wouldn't be any fun if it made sense all of the time, now would it?"

Kurt returned her grin, "You spent way too much time talking to Narran, didn't you?"

"Who me?" Kitty asked mischievously, "Still, I guess we should get on with looking for the right door."

Kurt nodded and once again they continued to walk along the corridor.

"Well, if there were any vampires in the immediate vicinity, I guess that would make sense," Kurt muttered, as he stared at another door, "'Whenever living in any environment where vampires are known to inhabit in the immediate vicinity, never invite anyone into your home, just to be sure.'"

Kitty shook her head, "I don't think that's our door either," she said.

"No," Kurt admitted, still staring at the door thoughtfully, "it would be a lot easier if we knew what we were looking for."

"Don't worry, it will make sense when we see it," Kitty said reassuringly.

"Yes, I suppose it will," Kurt said uncertainly.

Kitty smiled, "These aren't our stories," she said, indicating all the doors they had examined so far, "they don't belong to us. They are stories for other people, perhaps even people from other worlds, other realities. They're not important to us, but I think they might mean a great deal to others. We just have to find the door to our story, that's all."

"You did spend too long with Narran," Kurt said, laughing.

Kitty winked at him, "Mysterious mentor story teller people can be a lot of fun," she said.

"So I guess that means that we had better get back to our own story now," Kurt said, grinning at her, and then returning to examining the doors all along the hall.

"Yes," said Kitty thoughtfully, and for a long while they both continued in silence along the corridor.

All of the doors that Kitty saw seemed to have what she supposed must be some form of writing on them, although she could only actually read a tiny fraction of the writing upon these doors. Also, much of what she could read she could not really understand, 'Don't go on TV tropes if you have an assignment due in the next few days, it is a really bad idea' 'Do not act incautiously when confronting little bald wrinkly smiling men', ' whenever upon a twenty-fourth century starship, say 'computer end programme'at least once a day_, _just to be sure','If a seemingly harmless little old lady with an interest in crime fiction comes to your village, get out of that village as soon as possible, someone almost certainly will be murdered in the next few days,', 'before getting angry at a story you have read in the paper, first check that the paper is not_ The Onion_'_,_ 'do not call an orang-utan, working in a magical library, a monkey,' and other such pieces of advice that doubtlessly meant something very important to someone else, but just left her feeling slightly puzzled and confused. Then she heard Kurt calling to her, "I think this is it, I think this might be the right door," he sounded hopeful, if just a little apprehensive.

Kitty came running over, and examined the writing on the door for a long moment, 'It's advisable to avoid getting in the way of trains from other worlds when you live in a pre-industrialised society, but those aboard these trains can prove to be valuable friends'.

"Yes, I think you might be right," she said thoughtfully, "the other Kitty said something about us living in a pre-industrial society, remember? From what I can gather, that means a society that does not yet make trains and things like that out of metal."

Kurt nodded, then smiled at Kitty uncertainly. "So…" he said, his tail thrashing behind himself indicating his nervousness, "Do you want to see what might be behind this door?"

Kitty smiled at him, and hugged him gently, "Well, that's why we came here, isn't it? Take my hand."

Kurt smiled at her gratefully, and grasped her hand in his own. Then, cautiously, carefully, he opened the door and stepped inside.

For a moment, there was total blackness, and then Kitty, to her shock and surprise, found herself phasing, and then falling. She let go of Kurt's hand, as her own hand became as intangible as smoke. She tried to grab on to Kurt's hand again, but she might as well of tried to grab the wind; her hand just slipped through his. She started to panic, as she found herself falling through the floor, and attempted to grab on to something, anything. It was terrifying, and it was all the worse because she was totally alone in the complete blackness, falling, ever falling, towards an unknown fate.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 10 - To Face ones Fears_

Kurt stared in mute shock for a moment as Kitty seemed to be sinking into the floor. Quickly, he got down on hands and knees and tried to grab her hand with his own, but he might as well have tried to grab onto mist. Kitty's hand seemed suddenly to be as insubstantial as smoke, and Kurt's own hand passed straight through hers, as though it was not there. Kitty flailed wildly, clearly panicking, trying to grab on to Kurt; to the stone floor, to anything, but this seemed to be completely useless, as she was sinking into the floor as though it was made out of quicksand.

"Kitty!" Kurt called, as he watched helplessly as she sunk into the floor and vanished from his sight.

"Don't bother," the voice came from above him, and almost sounded like the other Kurt's, except that the other Kurt had a cheerful, friendly and playful tone of voice, whereas this voice was derisive and cruel. "She is better off without you, we both know that."

Kurt looked up. There was a hooded figure standing on a pedestal, where Kurt could have sworn that there had been nothing and no one there before. The hooded figure wore a grey mask over his face, but Kurt could still see his eyes through the mask; amber-gold and glowing with derision and disgust as he looked down at Kurt.

"Who…?" Kurt asked, getting to his feet uncertainly.

"Who am I?" asked the stranger derisively, "Is that what you wished to ask? Ask rather; who are you?"

Kurt took a step towards the cloaked figure, "I know who I am," he replied.

"No you don't," the stranger replied dismissively, "if you did, then you wouldn't be here. Oh you keep trying to tell yourself that you know yourself and all of that rubbish, but you and I both know that it is all nought but lies. You've come here trying to find yourself, but instead you have wound up losing yourself, just as you knew you would. You always lose everything, sooner or later."

"I'm here to rescue my family," said Kurt, taking another step towards the figure, "I'm not trying to find myself or anything like that."

"We both know that that is not true," the stranger replied, leaping down from the pedestal and doing a double back flip, in much the same way that Kurt had at one time performed such a manoeuvre, during his time as a circus acrobat. Then the cloaked figure took one step towards Kurt, his eyes still shining with malicious cruelty, "And even if you somehow have managed to delude yourself that you are here in order to rescue your family, what makes you think that they would want to be rescued by someone like you, anyway? You destroyed them all once, what is it that makes you think that you won't do so again?"

Kurt balled his hands into fists, as he suddenly felt an intense anger rising up inside himself, and was unsure if that anger was directed towards the cloaked stranger, or towards his own feelings of guilt and inadequacy. "None of that was my fault!" he shouted. "I was part of it, but I did not cause it. And I'm trying to do my best to make up for it. And you're in my way!" he practically screamed, marching towards the cloaked figure and attempting to push him out of the way, so that he could continue on with his quest without having to waste more time conversing with the annoying stranger.

The figure merely held out one of his gloved hands, and stopped Kurt from advancing by grabbing one of Kurt's own misshapen hands in a surprisingly strong grip. "Stop lying to yourself," the cloaked stranger practically commanded.

"I'm not lying to myself," Kurt replied angrily, "and you are in my way. Let me go so that I can try and help Kitty."

"You won't be able to do that," the cloaked stranger replied, "you and I both know that you cannot help her. Oh, you will lie to yourself that you can, that you are worthy of her, but we both know that you are not. You won't be able to save her; that much is obvious. Even if you do somehow manage to reach her, what chance would she have of a decent life with you? You, an ugly, mutated creature that does not deserve the pity and constant help that so many of your betters have constantly given to you! You would ruin her life; you know that. What makes you think that she agreed to marry you out of anything but pity for the pathetic creature that you are? And she will tire of you just as quickly; do not delude yourself that it can be otherwise. She had beaus long before you came along and kidnapped her for your own ends; she will have beaus long after she tires of your pathetic excuse for companionship. Would it not be better just to leave her be, save both her and yourself the pain and suffering that would be involved were you to become so much more than friends?"

Kurt swallowed uncertainly. He wanted to just yell at the cloaked stranger, to tell him that he knew nothing about him, and certainly nothing about Kitty nor his relationship with her, but it was clear that this masked stranger knew far too much about Kurt's own fears, his own deeply buried concerns and his own feelings of inadequacy, and was using all of these as a surprisingly effective weapon against Kurt. For the truth was that Kurt had often worried about the very issues that this stranger was talking about, worried that he was not good enough for Kitty, worried that he would not be able to make her happy in their marriage, worried that in the end she would decide, with good reason, that they should not continue with their life together, that she would leave him heartbroken, and move on to another, far more deserving beau. Usually these thoughts were momentary, fleeting and passed quickly; but now, hearing them so cruelly articulated by another, Kurt found that he could no longer ignore these fears and doubts.

The stranger's eyes glowed with a sort of sadistic triumph. "I see that you realise that I am right," he said, "for you have nothing to say, none of your famous jokes or clever retorts to counter me with, nothing but the bare truth, laid bare, naked before you."

Kurt swallowed again, his throat suddenly feeling dry and parched. He looked down at the floor, and thought about Kitty, falling down through the floor itself, and how she might, even now, need his help to overcome whatever strange obstacles were to be placed in front of her. Thinking about Kitty made him smile, as it so often did. It did not matter that he wondered why in the world Kitty had decided that she loved him more than anyone else, the simple fact of the matter was that she loved him. Maybe he would make stupid mistakes in his marriage, do stupid things that would annoy Kitty, but he would be mature enough to apologise to her, to admit that he had done wrong, and try to make it up to her whenever that was possible. His doubts and fears were a part of him, but they did not define him; there was far more to him than that. As he looked up once more at the hooded stranger, he realised that this was just another test, a test to see if he was worthy of Kitty, and also a test to see if he was worthy of the aid of the sleeping king. He smiled at the suddenly slightly confused look within the stranger's glowing eyes.

"You are partly right," he said, "I do worry about all of that. But I can look at the bare truth of my imperfections without the need of a cloak or a mask, which is more than you seem to be able to do." With that he tore the mask off of the stranger's face, revealing his true identity.

It was a lot like looking into a mirror. The stranger had Kurt's own features, although these were slightly distorted. Part of Kurt had realised who – what – he was from the moment he had started speaking to him – the very personification of his own fears and uncertainties, given life and animation, Kurt supposed, by the magic of the mountain itself. It was, after all, just another one of the tests that Kurt knew that he would have to complete to earn the right to ask the sleeping king for his help. Yet, despite knowing this at some level, it was still terrifying to stare, quite literally, into the face of his own fears and uncertainties. Although he had seen many terrifying beings during his time as an X-Man, none had been as scarily personal as this, the very personification of his own imperfections. He just wanted to get away from the creature, to get as far away as possible from its haunting yellow gaze. Thinking of Kitty, suddenly determined to go wherever it was that she had gone, he attempted to teleport.

There was a moment of darkness, of confusion, and a subconscious feeling that something had gone terribly, irrevocably wrong. Was it even possible to teleport within the mountain? He had thought of trying to reach Kitty, but he did not even know where she had gone. Up until that moment, he had always avoided teleporting to anywhere that he had not seen previously. This had been a sensible and logical precautionary use of his power. After all, the last thing that he wanted to do was to teleport into something – or worse yet, someone – leading to serious injury, if not fatality. But he had not worried about that sensible precaution when staring into the face of his own fears and imperfections, had just wanted to get away from that which frightened him so much. Maybe now he would be forced to pay for using his mutant power so recklessly.

Kurt blinked a few times, and then, where only a moment ago there had been total darkness, there was suddenly a blindingly powerful light. He shielded his eyes from the glaring brightness, and looked around at his surroundings. Fire was raging all around him. Kurt swallowed, trying his utmost not to panic. He still had a terrible phobia of fire, although, with the help of Kitty and some other mutants, he had been able to keep this phobia – mostly – under control when the fire itself was under control. Yet as he looked around, it was clear that this fire right here – wherever here was – was clearly not under control at all. Was this some other dimension, a fire dimension? Had he died and been sent to some strange otherworldly place to pay for his crimes, to pay for some real or imagined sins that he might have committed in the past? Perhaps he was being punished for having difficulty staring his own fears in the eye, for his inability to cope with these fears in an appropriate manner. But no, that did not feel right. He was not even sure that he had failed that test; there did not seem to be an easy way to evaluate whether or not he was doing what he had to do in order to earn the sleeping king's approval. Besides, he was fairly sure that he was not dead; he could hear his laboured breathing as he stared at the flames surrounding him, could hear his heart beating like a drum in his ear. No, this surely had to be yet another test. Swallowing his fear as best he could, he looked at his surroundings to try to figure out what he should do next.

He seemed to be in some form of underground cavernous chamber, but one quite unlike that of the Morlocks, as there was no indication of human activity, or that any human had ever entered this place before. Yet he could make out creatures, living beings that appeared to be sniffing the air curiously, as though wondering what that strange, alien smell that had invaded their territory might be. Kurt blinked a few more times and stared through the flames, trying to look at the creatures as best he could through the flames. They appeared to be huge lizards, fiery creatures as tall as a man, with sharp teeth and talons. He was not sure how many there were, as it was hard to tell through the flames, but suspected that there were dozens, if not hundreds, and they all seemed to be curious about him, this strange creature that had suddenly appeared in their domain. They were approaching him slowly, cautiously, their teeth and claws glowing in the light of the flames. Kurt swallowed uncertainly again, as he watched fearfully as the fiery lizards came ever closer to where he was rooted to the spot in fear. They were actually quite impressive creatures, as they seemed to be perfectly at home, perfectly adapted to their fiery environment. Kurt was the outsider, the stranger that had entered their territory, and surely they would be doing nothing more than defending their own territory if they were to kill and eat him. It was not as if they were evil, after all, just animals that wanted, understandably, to defend their own domain from potential rivals. Still, however impressive these creatures might be, Kurt's first thought was for his own survival, and he was prepared to do whatever was necessary to these creatures to ensure that he would survive his encounter with them.

Kurt tried to ignore his fear as he stared at the creatures through the flames, as they continued to advance towards him. Kurt groped blindly behind himself and grabbed something cold and smooth, and about the size of his head. As the nearest of the fire lizards snapped at him, he hit it as hard as he could with his improvised weapon. The creature screamed in indignation and pain, as blood began to spurt from what Kurt supposed might be its nostrils. Kurt looked down at his weapon, and saw that it appeared to be a giant ruby, and that there appeared to be a fire burning steadily within it. Well, it would not have been his first choice of weapons back at the Institute, but Wolverine had always stressed the importance of improvisation, of using that which was available in order to defend one's self, in order to, at the very least, remain alive. It would have to do.

The other fire lizards were approaching now, apparently getting bolder as they approached Kurt in twos and threes. Kurt hit the ones closest to him with the ruby, managing to prevent the first five or six from seriously harming him. But it was clear that he could not continue to fight them of in this manner forever, for they were approaching him from every direction, and he was rapidly tiring from fighting off so many foes. Despite the fact that it was teleporting that had somehow led him into this fiery dimension, it was becoming clearer by the moment that it was only teleporting that would enable him to survive.

Kurt looked up at the ceiling of the cave. There was a particularly large stalactite hanging down from the ceiling not far to his left. It did not look as though the fire lizards would be able to reach him if he were to teleport onto it. He did not really like teleporting upwards, it always seemed to require far too much energy and effort, but he did not appear to have a huge variety of options currently available to him. At least from that stalactite he would be out of the reach of the flames and the fire lizards, and so would be able to plan what he was going to do next from a position of relative safety.

Bamf!

Kurt vanished momentarily, and, to his great relief, managed to grab onto the chosen stalactite. He stared down at the fiery chamber from his relatively safe vantage point. The fire lizards down below him seemed to be understandably confused, as their prey had suddenly vanished, leaving behind a stench of sulphur. Kurt grinned in spite of himself as he looked down at their confused faces. Poor creatures, this whole encounter must have seemed very strange to them; Kurt found himself actually feeling quite sympathetic towards them, now that he was not in the immediate danger of being their lunch. At the thought of lunch, Kurt's stomach started growling as though on cue and Kurt was suddenly reminded that he had not eaten anything since leaving the Morlocks. He had not realised how hungry he felt until that moment. The fire lizards looked up at him, apparently upon hearing that strange growling sound, and Kurt looked down on them curiously.

I wonder if they taste like chicken. He had not wanted that thought to enter his mind, but it came anyway, unbidden and unwanted. Kitty would not exactly approve if he were to eat such impressive and rare creatures. Besides, judging by the way in which they were looking up at him, the fire lizards were thinking exactly the same thing about him. Still, they could not seem to be able to reach him from where he was currently clinging on to the stalactite for dear life. Yet he could not stay up there forever, as his stomach was annoyingly reminding him. Yet what was he to do? Did he dare teleport out of this fiery domain, even though that was what had lead him here in the first place, and could quite easily result in him being transported to some even more dangerous place? Kurt was not sure what he should do for the best, but it was clear that he would have to do something, and soon, because the stalactite that he was holding onto so tightly was beginning to creak and crack under his weight, and it was becoming painfully obvious that it would very soon break and drop to the fiery ground below.


End file.
